Tears of a Titan
by deathmakesapoet
Summary: [Occurs after Chapter 30] An ambush by Titans leaves the Scouting Legion expeditionary force in tatters. Trapped in Titan territory, startling revelations and strange events occur that propel Eren, Mikasa and their allies towards the truth behind the Titans. A story filled with adventure, mystery, danger, death and moments of romance. This is their story. [Eren/Mikasa] [Spoilers]
1. Attack

**Disclaimer : Shingeki no Kyojin created by Isayama Hajime.  
**  
**Credit to : Salaeren and Vespalynd for being the best betas anyone could ask for! Thank you for helping to make this fic so much more than what it was originally! :D Readers, if you're interested in Eren/Mikasa fanfiction, go check out** **Vespalynd's fic : Walls Between Us! You won't be disappointed, I swear. ;) Salaeren is working on an Eren/Annie fic which I will be helping him out with. Hopefully it will be released in the near future, so stay tuned! And yes, that's right. Eren/Annie. I don't think we have any of those here, so if you ship Eren and Annie, remember this name : Salaeren.  
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**Please don't be turned off by the fact that there are OCs in this story! I've learned that some people just stop reading fics once they know that there are going to be OCs, but mine are not your run of the mill OCs, I swear! Just give the story a chance, I promise you won't regret it. :)**

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**Chapter 1 - Attack  
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Everything was so dark. Eren wasn't sure if his vision was so impaired due to the lack of light in his surroundings or the fatigue chipping away at his consciousness. It wasn't total darkness though. He could still see a light above him. It was a fire. He could also see a face. A familiar face, etched with fear. A voice called out to him but it was as if the sound was travelling through water, so distorted and distant it seemed to be.

"Don't stop, Eren! We need to keep running!" Klaus yelled at him. He held a torch in one hand and with the other, proceeded to grab Eren roughly by his arm and pull him to his feet. "You can rest when we've gotten the fuck out of here!"

Using Klaus to support himself as he stood up, Eren fought to regain his awareness. An intense pain ripped through his arm as he moved it, causing him to cry out in agony. Looking down, he saw a jagged bone sticking out at his elbow like a broken tower in a sea of flesh and blood. "My arm. It's broken," he said through gritted teeth. Steam vented out of the open wound, but Eren didn't think it would heal properly unless he set the bone back in place.

"It must have been the way you landed after the Titan hit you," Klaus remarked. He was referring to the incident earlier that night when the Titans had attacked the Scouting Legion's encampment, plunging everything into chaos. Eren's head threatened to split apart when he tried to recall the details. He remembered being at the camp when the Titans attacked them out of nowhere. The two of them had been cut off from the rest of the scouts by a group of titans, forcing them to retreat to the relative safety of the forest.

"I can't believe the damn sentries didn't see them coming. Fuck it, let's get out of-" Klaus continued to say, but an inhuman scream interrupted the young man's words. The sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the forest like a barrage of gunfire, each solid thump sending a wave of dread washing over the two soldiers of the Scouting Legion. Klaus wasn't sure if the tremors he was feeling came from the ground or from his own shaking body. "I can't run Klaus, I'm too weak. Go! I'll turn into a titan!" Eren said.

"Fuck you, Eren! I'm not leaving you behind!" Klaus retorted vehemently. With his uninjured arm, Eren shoved his friend aside with all the strength he could muster, causing him to stagger backwards. Klaus stood frozen to the spot as he desperately fought the urge to take flight. Just outside the boundaries of the illumination offered by the fire, he could see gigantic silhouettes closing in on their location. Three 5 meter class Titans emerged from the darkness and converged on Eren, each with an unnerving grin stretched all the way across its ugly face. The torch in Klaus' hand gave each of the titans a shadow far larger than itself, creating a nightmarish scene in the background as the monsters' colossal shadows danced on the trees in savage mimicry of their flesh and blood counterparts. Mentally berating himself for his weakness, Klaus slowly edged his way backwards, trying to create some distance between himself and the titans. There wasn't anything he could do to help without his 3D maneuver gear equipped. He could only hope that Eren would transform into a titan in time to meet their opponents in combat. _Eren can take them, right? He doesn't need me, right?_, he thought as paralysing fear started to consume him.

Eren's pulse broke into a frantic rhythm as the enemies lumbered towards him. Adrenaline took over, blurring out the throbbing pain in his broken arm. His mind was clear of all things except for one overriding thought. But that thought was not of the battle, or of his desire to survive, or even of his burning hatred for the cruel creatures that stood before him. To his unending surprise, one unlikely thought broke to the surface of his mind, riding on a strong current of regret and longing that overwhelmed the fear in his heart.

_Mikasa._

Placing his hand in his mouth, Eren bit down as hard as he could.

* * *

Night had only just fallen when the Scouting Legion made camp earlier that day. Sentries were stationed around the perimeter of the encampment, each solitary watchman accompanied only by the dark sky and a large sentry fire.

A chill wind danced toward the encampment from the direction of the plains ahead, sweeping past Mikasa's face and causing the sentry fire to wave angrily. She wrapped her precious maroon scarf tighter around her face to ward off the biting cold.

_Remember the goal of this plan. Or is satisfying your desires more important to you than rescuing him?_

Mikasa grimaced as she recalled Rivaille's galling question. How could there be any doubt that rescuing Eren was more important than satisfying her desire for vengeance? The mere thought of it was absurd to her ; and yet she couldn't deny what she had done. She couldn't deny that in the most crucial moment of the battle with the female Titan, she had chosen to go for a killing blow instead of securing Eren's safety.

_He's your precious friend isn't he? Am I wrong?_

No, of course he wasn't wrong. Eren was more precious to her than anything this ugly world had to offer. But why did she lose her self-control back then? Mikasa Ackerman - warrior prodigy of her generation - gave in to her emotions and nearly died as a result. She had nearly cost Eren his freedom. The mere thought of it was like a slap to her face.

_I'm always in control of myself. But it's never so simple when it comes to you, is it Eren?, __she thought to herself. _With more than a hint of longing, Mikasa kissed the inside of her scarf lightly as the image of Eren appeared in her mind. She could always count on Eren to mess her heart up. He was the key that unlocked all the emotions buried deep within her, things that she herself had repressed. Despite being heralded as one of the most skilled and rational people in the Scouting Legion, Mikasa had a habit of being uncharacteristically irrational wherever Eren was concerned. She couldn't help it. She only ever truly felt alive when she was near him. He made her feel complete.

The sound of footsteps alerted Mikasa to the arrival of her superior officer. She quickly stood to attention and saluted the sergeant. "Sir!"

"Your shift is over, Private Ackerman. Private Whitman will relieve you of your duties. You are dismissed."

Mikasa pressed a balled fist to her chest in salute before heading off in the direction of the encampment. The operation to subdue the female Titan had taken far longer than expected, and it had resulted in the deaths of far too many. Those who remained were exhausted and in no condition for further travel. The price paid for this failure was simply too high. Reluctant though he may have been to give the order, Commander Irvin had no choice but to have the soldiers make camp for the night. Normally, this would have been the ideal time to make a beeline for the wall; due to the exhaustion of the day's events, however, Irvin had decided that they should use the safety of night-time to recover their strength so that they could make the journey back home in the morning.

The encampment was just outside the border of the giant tree forest. The abnormally large trees loomed over them like spectres in the night, watching their every move with murderous intent. Mikasa often wondered why these trees were so gigantic. To her they seemed almost as unnatural as the titans that they fought so desperately to eradicate. She tried to look beyond the trees into the forest but all she could see was pitch blackness. A repressing gloom hung over the air, threatening to spill out and wash them away like leaves in a river. It reminded her of the night her parents were brutally murdered before her eyes, such was the aura of hopelessness that exuded from within. The thought that she almost lost Eren within its bowels disgusted her.

"Mikasa!" Armin exclaimed as the two met just outside their camp. "Eren's awake."

A thin smile spread across Mikasa's face when she heard the news. "Thanks, Armin," she said as she squeezed her friend's shoulder. "Is he okay?"

"A bit disoriented but he doesn't seem to be injured. Just sore," Armin replied, "I'm going to go get some ration bars. He's been whining for food ever since he woke up!" he said with a grin before running off to get one of the unholy bricks of grey matter the legion used to keep the soldiers fed. Everyone always joked about what monster of a person could infuse such horrible tastelessness into those thick bars of grey mush. Some of the troops even suggested that the purpose of the ration bars was to make everyone taste just as bad to the titans so that they would simply refuse to eat them!

With a sigh, Mikasa walked into the circle of tents that they had set up for themselves. Their camp-site was at the very edge of the encampment, closest to the trees. In the center of the circle a small camp fire radiated a glowing warmth that was a stark contrast to the foreboding darkness around them. Seated by the fire, Eren looked up as he heard her enter the camp.

"Mikasa..." he said softly as their eyes met, "Armin said that you were the one who...who saved me."

She simply nodded as she sat down close to him. "How do you feel?"

Eren averted his gaze, returning his attention to the fire. "I'm okay," he mumbled.

Mikasa stayed silent, but she knew that he wasn't okay. She knew what he was thinking. He resented being saved by her yet again. It only served as a reminder to him of his weakness. How could he eradicate all the Titans when he had to be saved by her over and over again? He resented her protection and it pained her to know that. It hurt her greatly to see his eyes sometimes fill with sadness when he looked at her. Eyes that used to be filled with so much vigour and ambition. Eyes that used to be filled with love, or at least, that's what she liked to think. She hid her feelings under a façade of stoicism, knowing that the Eren she used to know wouldn't come back until he had sated his thirst for revenge. But she was only human. Sometimes, it was just too much for her to handle. There were times when she wanted to break down and cry when she thought about all the feelings she had for him without an outlet for release. She had decided long ago that her fears and desires were secondary to Eren's survival, but that didn't make it any easier.

The two of them sat in silence for a few moments, the gentle crackling of burning kindling the only sound to fill the void between them. Eren's gaze was locked with the fire, unhindered by Mikasa's presence. She wanted so badly at that moment to just pretend that all their troubles didn't exist and throw herself into his arms, but all she could do was stare at him quietly as she wished for times long past. Without thinking, she moved to rest her head on his shoulder like she used to do when they were kids, but she stopped short when she heard someone snickering behind her. She immediately withdrew from Eren and got to her feet.

"Elizabeth," Mikasa said with the tiniest hint of annoyance in her voice. She turned around to see the petite girl standing next to her childhood friend and partner, Klaus. The children of middle class families, the both of them grew up together in Trost's business district ; Elizabeth the daughter of a book shop owner and Klaus the descendant of a long line of carpenters. Elizabeth was a short and slightly stocky girl with light brown hair and an impish smile ; a natural troublemaker. In contrast, Klaus was a tall, barrel-chested youth with short, cropped hair and a chiselled nose; handsome and amiable, the young scout couldn't count the number of propositions from the opposite sex he'd received with just two hands. He could, however, count his failures on one hand with fingers to spare, and that is what truly defined him.

"Oh, don't mind us you two, just go on doing whatever you were doing," Klaus said as he shot Mikasa a mischievous wink. "We just happened to walk by, that's all."

"What are you guys talking about?" Eren asked with a questioning look on his face. Mikasa shot the two newcomers a sharp glare before walking away from the camp in a hurry. "What's with her?"

"Oh, nothing. Girl stuff. You wouldn't understand," Elizabeth said with a chuckle as she sat herself down next to Eren. Her companion followed suit, planting himself on the ground right next to her.

"How you feeling, Eren?" Klaus asked as he reached over to give him a pat on the back. "You look like shit," he joked.

"That's mean Klaus!"

"It's alright, Liz," Eren said with a weak chuckle. He opened his mouth as if to say something but then decided not to. With a sigh, he went back to gazing at the glowing embers of the fire.

"Come on, don't be a spoil sport," Klaus teased. "Girls don't like hot-tempered guys you know!"

"No, it's nothing. I'm just tired, that's all. I only woke up just a while ago. Turning into a Titan and getting your ass kicked takes a lot out of you."

"Oh, right!" chirped Elizabeth. "You fought the female-type right? They said Mikasa and Corporal Rivaille hauled serious ass to save you!"

"Uh, yeah," Eren answered with a sigh. It didn't please him to be reminded of the incident yet again.

"I wish I were as strong as Mikasa," the girl from Trost mused. "then I could whoop Klaus' ass. He's so full of himself isn't he?"

Eren couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah, and his head is too big. The first time I met you guys at the old castle headquarters, I could have sworn he was the smallest titan I'd ever seen," he joked. Back then, Elizabeth and Klaus had been assigned to oversee the transport of supplies to the castle Eren was being held at. They were the only two aside from the Corporal Rivaille and the special operations squad that Eren had come into contact with over those few days. Perhaps more significantly, they were the only two of that group that didn't regard him as some kind of monster.

Klaus scoffed and gave Eren's shoulder a light punch."Very funny guys. Very funny."

"Don't be hot-tempered, eh Klaus?" Elizabeth said with a cheeky grin on her face, "Don't worry. When I'm not kicking your ass I'll be protecting it from nasty Titans with my Mikasa powers, okay?"

"Fair enough. Strong women are sexy. Just don't overdo the arms, okay? Don't wanna wake up next to female Reiner every morning!" The three of them broke into hysterical laughter as the ridiculous image of Reiner's body with Elizabeth's face entered their minds. Eren didn't know what it was about these two but they really knew how to lift his spirits. There was a short pause as the laughing died down and they stopped to catch their breaths.

"Say, Eren. What's with you and Mikasa? Come on, you can tell us," the mischievous girl cooed as she gave Eren a gentle nudge in the ribs. Klaus blanched at her sudden forwardness and laughed, leaning back to look at the stars above. _This should be good, _he thought.

"What are you getting at?" Eren raised an eyebrow at the awkward question, clearly unsure of how to deal with it.

"Don't play dumb, Eren! We see the way she acts around you," Elizabeth said with a sly look on her face. "Come on, give us something. What is she to you?"

"Mikasa...? She's just-" Eren stammered as he struggled to find an answer for his friend's question. Before he could further contemplate the matter, a booming voice shocked the three young soldiers to their feet. It was Lieutenant Carlstroem.

"Jaeger! Where are your guards?" he barked as the three of them hurriedly saluted him.

"I sent them away sir!"

"Who the fuck do you think are? Just because we had to get some green-eared rookies to guard you doesn't mean you get to send them away with a wave of your hand!"

"Yes, sir! I'm sorry sir! I-"

"Zimmermann! Carter!" Carlstroem cut him off, referring to Klaus and Elizabeth respectively,"Looks like you two lovebirds get to babysit our resident Titan! No sleeping on the job or I'll personally make the rest of your lives a living hell!" he yelled before storming off from the camp, leaving the three friends alone with the fire and the chuckles of a few nearby scouts. Eren felt heat rising to his face, but it wasn't from the fire.

"Sorry I had to drag you guys into this," Eren apologized after they resumed their sitting positions around the fire."I just didn't feel like having guards around. It's annoying." The truth was that the guards had reminded Eren of the friends he'd lost to the female titan back in the forest. The wound was still too raw and he couldn't bear being reminded about it.

"Ah, don't sweat it," Klaus said cheerfully. "So, we were talking about-"

"Mikasa!" Elizabeth cut in. "What is she to you?"

Eren turned to look at the fire again, lost in thought. What was Mikasa to him? Was she just family? Or was she more than that to him? He really didn't know. There was too much going on right now ; his desire for revenge, the basement, his ability to transform into a titan. He'd simply never thought about it before. He wasn't sure how he felt towards her now. Her stoic attitude and unrelenting protection was suffocating him. Sometimes he felt shackled by her care. She made him feel weak and useless. He missed the old days when he could still feel a grudging sense of joy at having Mikasa watch his back all the time. Now, all he felt was resentment. It only made him hate himself more because he knew that Mikasa only does what she does out of love.

"I grew up with Mikasa," Eren finally answered.

"Well that's not much of an answer is it?" Elizabeth's gentle giant scoffed as he shifted his legs so that he could sit more comfortably.

"She's family."

"Of course she is," Klaus replied sarcastically. "And Liz is just my porter."

"Shut up, Klaus!" Elizabeth said as she hit him in the back of the head.

Eren couldn't help but smile as he watched the two of them have their small lover's quarrel. They were just like Mikasa and him in the sense that they also grew up together, but the similarities seemed to end there. Watching them, Eren couldn't help but wonder if his relationship with Mikasa would have grown into anything like this had the colossal titan never breached Wall Maria on that tragic day.

"How do you guys do it? I mean, being like this. With everything that's going on?" Eren asked.

Elizabeth gave Klaus one final slap to the back of his head before turning back to face Eren. "Well, as much as we'd like to not think about it, any one of us might be dead tomorrow. I don't wanna die without knowing that someone loves me, you know?" she said with a sly wink at Eren. "So don't make that mistake!"

"Without knowing...huh?" Eren muttered under his breath as he laid down on his back to look at the black canvas of the night sky. The stars were out in force tonight, but he was unable to admire their beauty. Tonight, his mind could only focus on one thing.

_What are you, to me?_

* * *

After storming off from the camp, Mikasa walked aimlessly through the rows of tents with a blank expression on her face. The 3D maneuver gear attached to her form was beginning to feel uncomfortable. She'd have taken it off before leaving the camp, had there been no interruption from Beauty and the Beast back there. After she was some distance away from the encampment, Mikasa stopped walking. Drawing a hardened steel blade from the dispenser at her hip, she raised it up above her head so that it reflected the pale moonlight. The blade felt like an extension of her arm, a part of her own body in the form of cold steel. Sometimes she felt like cold steel was all she was : a deadly weapon ; always calm, always collected. It was only near Eren's fiery passion that she could melt and become something more.

_I should head back. Elizabeth and Klaus should probably be gone by now, anyway. _

Sheathing her weapon, she turned around just in time to see the Titan's fist sailing through the air towards her. Any other person would have had their torso smashed in there and then, but Mikasa's almost superhuman reflexes allowed her to react immediately. She staggered backwards just as the fist was about to connect, dodging the brunt of the blow. The edge of the fist grazed her shoulder, causing her to cry out in pain as she fell to the ground. Getting back to her feet as quickly as she could, Mikasa immediately jumped backwards to try and create some distance between herself and her opponent. It was a 7-meter class with a strangely round head and an impossibly flat face. Drawing her blades, Mikasa's mind was ablaze with too many questions. How could the Titan have gotten so close to the camp? Why was it moving at night? She had no time to mull over such things as she saw the silhouettes of more 7-meter class Titans walking along the border of the encampment.

_Are these abnormal titans? They're being...stealthy?_ The thought puzzled Mikasa further, but the mystery had to wait as she had to dodge another blow from her inhuman opponent. It screamed loudly and the other titans followed suit, signalling the start of the attack. All Hell broke loose as the tell-tale sounds of death and combat replaced the peaceful quiet of the night. _Dammit! I need to get back to Eren! _

The Titan charged Mikasa again but this time she was ready. Switching her blades to a reverse grip, she kept her stance low and darted around the monster as it charged her, circling to attack its exposed rear. She fired her hooks at the titan's neck, the metal embedding itself deep into the hard skin. Using the added momentum offered to her by the reeling cables of her 3D maneuver gear, Mikasa leapt upwards and made two deep parallel cuts into the nape of the titan's neck, killing it instantly. Like a felled tree, it collapsed heavily onto the ground, Mikasa landing gracefully on top of it as steam started to vent out of its skin. Not wanting to waste any more time, she quickly found her feet and sprinted back towards the encampment.

Dashing through the camp, she realized that there were too many Titans for them to fight in the open space of the plains. They had to retreat to the giant tree forest if they were to have any chance of surviving the onslaught. It was chaos everywhere she went. The surprise attack had totally caught them off guard, and most of the soldiers not currently being chewed on weren't even in their 3D maneuver gear yet. Using her speed to her advantage, Mikasa dodged and weaved her way through the battle as she made her way to Eren's camp, avoiding the Titans altogether. She didn't care for anything else at that moment. She had to ensure that Eren was safe first.

As she neared the campsite, Mikasa felt her heart drop when she realized that the tents were destroyed and ablaze. "Eren! Eren!" she yelled repeatedly as she desperately scanned the area for any sign of him.

"Mikasa!"

Turning to the source of the voice, Mikasa was somewhat disappointed to see that it wasn't Eren, but Elizabeth. The girl was already in her 3D maneuver gear and her blades were stained with blood. "Klaus!...Klaus and Eren! They were chased by some of the Titans into the forest! We have to go help them!" she pleaded with a trembling voice as tears started to well up in her eyes.

"Did they have their gear?"

"No, but they made it to the treeline before the Titans did!"

"They won't be able to outrun them for long," Mikasa said. "We have to get to them before the Titans do. Go!"

Still shaking, Elizabeth took a deep breath to calm herself before she turned to sprint towards the treeline. Mikasa followed suit, glancing back only once to see the carnage the titans had left in their wake. Part of her wanted to go look for Armin, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Eren's situation was more dire. She could only hope that Armin managed to escape or group up with other fighters. Cursing the fact that she even had to make such a decision, Mikasa tightened her grip on her blades and fired her hooks towards the treeline the moment she was near enough to do so. Elizabeth did the same and the both of them launched into the air in unison, determined to save their loved ones together.

"There! Light! It's Klaus' torch!" Elizabeth exclaimed, pointing to her right. The both of them made a sharp turn in that direction immediately, using a giant tree as a pivot. As they raced towards the source of the light, the grim darkness of the forest seemed to close in on them, threatening to swallow them whole with an unyielding sense of dread. The light of the torch in the distance seemed to flicker and fade, much like their own hopes, but it was enough to spur the two women on. A scream echoed through the trees, sounding suspiciously like it came from Eren. Mikasa immediately doubled her speed as she desperately tore across the air towards the source of the sound, all the while hoping that she wasn't too late.

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**Will Mikasa reach Eren in time to save him from an untimely demise?** **Find out in the next exciting chapter of ****"Tears of a Titan"! :D**

**As always, please drop a review. :D The Law of New Chapters as proposed by Professor Reader von Review states that the higher the number of reviews, the faster the next update will come. :P Science, bitches!  
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	2. Rage and its Consequences

**Disclaimer**** : Shingeki no Kyojin created by Hajime Isayama.**

**A/N : Thanks for the reviews guys. :D Much appreciated. To quote a song from the Hives, "I want more!". :D**

**Credit to : Salaeren and Vespalynd, best betas ever. Remember to check out Vespalynd's fic : "Walls Between Us"! ;)**

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**Chapter 2 - Rage and its Consequences**

Eren let out a cry of pain as he pulled his wounded hand away from his mouth. Teeth marks and blood marred the area he had bitten, but no steam came out of it. No Titan flesh materialized around it. It was just a throbbing, wounded human hand that he held gingerly to his chest. He was not a Titan.

The monster that towered above him, however, was a Titan in every sense of the word. With a sadistic grin stretched across its face, it raised its hand to smite Eren, much like how a vengeful god would strike down a traitorous infidel. Eren stood rooted to the spot, his expression locked in a defiant snarl as he was faced with the prospect of dying. He had heard that when people die, their entire life flashes before their eyes. Eren found himself wondering if it was true after all, because all he could see in his mind were memories of Mikasa. From the night that he saved her life to their time together in the training corps, all the way up to the very last time he saw her, back at the encampment. The thought of that last conversation with her before everything went south made Eren's heart sink with the weight of regret. _Are those really going to be my last words to Mikasa?_

"Eren! Get back!"

Snapped out of his stupor, Eren looked upwards just in time to see Klaus flying through the air with a hardened steel combat knife in his hand. He had climbed a nearby tree and now he was careening towards one of the Titans, an expression of desperation and fear etched on his face. Putting his entire weight into the attack, he plunged the cruel metal deep into the Titan's eye, causing it to stumble backwards from the force. Desperately clinging onto its skin, Klaus switched the blade to his other hand and rammed it repeatedly into the titan's remaining eye, completely robbing it of its vision.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Klaus kept chanting the word as if it were some sort of battle cry or war ritual that would endow him with the strength to fight. But the truth behind the spell was evident in his trembling voice; he was scared beyond his wits. The only thing keeping him going was instinct and fear. He was doing what he had to do. The Titan reached for its face to grab him but Klaus let go just in time, dropping to the ground with a heavy thud. The jarring impact caused him to become disoriented for a moment. However, he retained enough clarity to quickly roll away just as one of the other Titans brought its foot down where he had lain just moments ago. With a roar of defiance, Klaus desperately stuck the knife into the Titan's toe with all his might. The Titan did not seem to feel any pain from the stabbing, so casual was its movement to pick him off the floor. Klaus hastily got to his feet and narrowly dodged the huge fingers as they tried to catch him. The blind Titan continued to flail around randomly in an effort to find him, hitting its allies in the process. As luck would have it, the Titan tripped over a root in its sightless frenzy and fell over, bringing the other two Titans down in a heap together with it.

"Eren! Get the torch!" Klaus screamed as he turned. "Now, damn it!"

Eren promptly retrieved the torch from the ground and re-joined Klaus. "Klaus! I couldn't transform! I-"

"Enough talk, man. Move!" Klaus barked at him, cutting off his speech. He grabbed the torch from Eren's hand and ran ahead. Eren glanced back at the Titans that were tangled in a bunch on the floor. The blind Titan had steam coming out of its eye sockets, but it seemed like it was staring straight at him. The unnerving sight made him shiver. He immediately turned to run after Klaus.

Driven by instinct, the two of them kept running for what seemed like hours, but they couldn't be sure. In the near total darkness of the forest, time no longer seemed apply to their world. What light that did peek through the dense canopy of leaves was sparse and ghostly, like thin beams of ethereal chalk that somehow seemed more eerie than the blackness which surrounded them. The thundering footsteps of their pursuers spurred them on regardless, driving them forward like sheepdogs herding cattle.

Klaus dragged Eren along by his arm, determined not to leave him to die despite the insistence of his younger friend. "Shut it, Eren. Neither of us are going to die here," he said between labored breaths.

"It's not the time to be a hero, Klaus,"Eren retorted. "Liz needs you. I'll try to turn into a titan again, if you just-"

"Why can't you just trust me, Eren?" Klaus yelled in frustration.

_Is it true Eren? You really don't believe in us?_

The memory of Petra's last words to him struck Eren hard. He stopped in his tracks and lowered his head into his uninjured hand. "I don't know!" Eren screamed. "I don't fucking know who to believe!"

Klaus put a hand on his friend's shoulder and let out a weary sigh. He didn't know what to say. His own mind was processing a similarly chaotic torrent of thoughts and emotions at the time. All he knew was that if they stopped running, they would die. He didn't even have his combat knife to fight with anymore. "Eren, this is why Mikasa protects you all the time. You need to stop carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders," he said. "Right now, we gotta keep running."

Klaus' words left Eren speechless. All he could do was nod to convey his acquiescence. Glad that his words had reached his friend, Klaus turned to continue their endless marathon to nowhere. It wasn't long before exhaustion overtook them, and they finally ended their flight at a wide clearing in the middle of the forest. A small oasis of dim light in a desert of blackness, the two of them thought that they had arrived at their final resting place. They took a breather in the nook between the buttress roots of a giant tree as they awaited the arrival of their executioners.

Covered with sweat and blood, Eren simply stared blankly into space. His breaths were short and labored, the wounds he had sustained throughout the day had taken a heavy toll on his body. But Klaus could tell that there was something else on his mind. "I'm sure Mikasa is fine," he said. "That girl could kick Titan ass with nothing but a fork."

Eren looked to Klaus with a weary smile on his face. "I'm sure Liz is fine too. She may not look like it, but she's a tough one."

"Like I wouldn't know that!" Klaus chuckled. "She's always wanted to see the world outside the world, you know? That's why she joined the Legion. She's not gonna die here."

"What about you?" Eren asked.

"Nah. I just wanted to be a carpenter, like my dad. Boy, was he pissed when he heard I joined the military," came the reply. "I'm his only son. Last of the Zimmermann bloodline," he continued with a slight hint of bitterness in his voice.

"You joined because of Liz?"

Klaus didn't reply to that question. He just smiled wearily at Eren and put a hand on his shoulder. The young Titan-shifter didn't need to hear the words to know the answer. He could see a sadness in his friend's eyes that made his own heart weep.

"I don't regret anything though," the young boy from Trost said with a wink. "Sometimes a man's gotta do what he's gotta do."

Eren nodded in agreement at Klaus' words. Then he suddenly looked away when a random thought entered his mind.

_Oh my god, I'm Elizabeth and Mikasa is Klaus_, he thought, covering his face with his hand as the embarrassing realization hit him.

"Hey, you know, me and Liz, it's like you and Mikasa, except the other way round!" Klaus exclaimed with a hearty laugh.

And so it was with laughter that they met the Titans. Their three pursuers strode into the clearing in unison, hell-bent on finally devouring their quarry. Their huge bodies blocked out what little light that could make it through the canopy, covering the two soldiers in a large blanket of dark shadow.

With nary a word spoken between them, the two soldiers helped each other to their feet. They weren't going to face their deaths lying down. Eren put his hand to his mouth again and glanced at Klaus. If they were going to die anyway, they might as well give it one more shot.

He didn't have to sink his teeth again this time though, as two of the Titans suddenly fell backwards for no immediately apparent reason. The sound of reeling cables and ejecting gas could be heard echoing around the clearing, providing a hint as to the cause for the sudden turn of events. The third Titan managed a final instinctive scream before it too joined its allies in a heap on the ground.

"Klaus!" Elizabeth yelled as she landed on the ground in front of the deceased Titans. She immediately ran up to him and locked him in a tearful embrace. "Klaus, you idiot! You idiot!" she whispered between desperate sobs.

"Elizabeth, I-" Klaus began to say, but Elizabeth didn't let him finish. Holding his head in her hands, she reached up and planted her lips firmly over his, not allowing him to say another word.

Mikasa didn't say anything as she walked up to Eren and stood before him. He was speechless as well. He had just given up all hope of seeing her again only a short while ago, to have her standing before him right now was nothing short of emotionally overwhelming. Without warning, Mikasa wrapped her arms around him, embracing him tightly for all she was worth. He could feel her body tremble against his own, but she did not say a word to him. Eren could feel his face turn red with heat. He had forgotten what it was like to hold someone in his arms. The smell of Mikasa's hair filled him with a sense of familiar joy that he could not explain.

When they eventually parted, Mikasa finally noticed the grotesque condition of Eren's arm. "What happened?" she asked, a look of genuine concern on her face.

"I got sent flying by a Titan," he said. "And let's just say the landing was less than comfortable." Gingerly lifting his injured arm up for her inspection, Eren grimaced as the stinging pain pierced him again. "I don't think it will heal unless it's set back in place," he continued with a tone that suggested that he did not particularly enjoy the thought.

Mikasa sighed and took Eren's uninjured hand in hers. "Sit down," she ordered. "Elizabeth, keep a lookout." Picking up a fallen branch from the ground, she snapped off a thin stick, handed it to Eren and told him to bite on it. Seated together on the ground, Eren's face was a picture of reluctance as he let Mikasa take his broken arm in her hand. Bracing himself, he looked into Mikasa's eyes and nodded to signal that he was ready. She nodded in kind and with one swift motion the bone was set back in place with a resounding crack.

The pain that enveloped Eren was immense, blocking out all his thoughts and senses. The stick in between his teeth threatened to snap under the immense pressure of his jaws as a muffled scream escaped from his lungs. Tears flowed freely from his eyes, the pain driving out all composure from his body. Seeing the agony he was in caused Mikasa's eyes to become watery with tears too. She gently took Eren's head in her hands and pressed it against her chest, desperate to help ease his pain somehow. Nestling her face into his hair, she held him against her body until the pain finally subsided, leaving him numb and weak. He had almost passed out in her arms, but somehow the feeling of her heartbeat against his face helped him hold on to his consciousness.

Eren stayed in her arms for a few moments longer as he tried to recover his strength. The warmth of Mikasa's body and the gentleness of her touch gave him a sense of security that washed away all his fears and worries. For those few moments, nothing else existed except for Mikasa.

"Are you alright?" she whispered tenderly in his ear.

Reluctantly, he finally removed himself from her embrace. Seeing the tear stains he had left on her shirt, Eren swiftly apologized, but Mikasa would have none of it. She helped him to his feet and let him use her as support. "Are you alright, Klaus? Can you move?" she asked.

"Not very well. We're both pretty banged up," came the reply.

Cursing their luck, Mikasa had no choice but to order them to lay low while Eren and Klaus recovered their strength. "We can't move anywhere with the two of them in this condition," she said. "Up there. We'll rest on that branch."

* * *

It was only a few hours before dawn when Eren finally awoke from his slumber. The torch had long since died out, but the darkness was no longer as unrelenting as it was before. Opening his eyes, he checked to see that his arm was fully healed. It was a surreal feeling to see a perfectly fine arm where only hours before there was only a bloody, mangled limb. He wondered if he could ever get used to the unnatural regenerative powers he was endowed with. He almost wished that his arm didn't heal after all. At least he'd know that he was human. As he was now, Eren wasn't sure what he was. Sometimes he felt like his powers were as much a curse as a gift. Such sweet irony it was for him to be the very thing that he was trying to destroy. The very thing that he despised with all his soul.

"Finally awake?" Elizabeth asked as she squatted down beside him.

"Liz. Where's Mikasa?"

"She's over there with Klaus," she answered, pointing over her shoulder to show him where they were. There was a short moment of silence before she continued to speak. "Hey, Eren. Thanks," she said.

"For what?" Eren questioned as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. The jacket that was draped over him slid off his body and onto the tree branch, prompting him to pick it up. Upon further inspection he realized that it was Mikasa's jacket.

"For helping Klaus to stay alive," she said with a weary smile. The thought of Klaus dying sent a shiver through her body. "Ever since we were kids, he's always been the type to protect people. You know? Even if he's scared out of his mind, the responsibility always keeps him going. Always. He's alive now because of you."

Eren realized that she was starting to tear up as she said those words. He grabbed Elizabeth's hand and gently squeezed it in an effort to comfort her. "It's going to take a lot more than three Titans to kill that guy. He's strong."

Elizabeth wiped a tear from her eye and squeezed Eren's hand as well. "Don't let him hear you say that, he's full of himself, remember?" she joked half-halfheartedly, inciting a weak chuckle from the boy. "I'd never be able to live with myself if Klaus died. He...he only joined the Legion because of me."

"But there's always the risk of dying if you're a Scout."

"Yeah. I know it's selfish, but I had to join," she said, "I just can't sit still behind those walls. I just can't. I told Klaus not to follow me. I told him. But he never listens." Eren could tell there was a lot on her mind. For the first time since he met her, it occurred to him that her outward persona of cheerfulness and optimism might just be a mask to hide the deeper conflicts within herself. The thought seemed a sad one to him, but he couldn't deny the allure of the world outside the walls. He suffered from the same disease as her, a disease of the mind that bred curiosity and ambition. Settling down with Klaus would never have satisfied her.

"Sometimes, I hate myself for being like this. I've never wanted to put him in danger," Elizabeth sighed. "I'll call them over. Mikasa will be glad to see that your arm is healed."

Eren got to his feet with help from Elizabeth just as Mikasa and Klaus walked over to them. His legs were still wobbly, but he felt a lot better now after finally getting some rest. "Thanks for the jacket." he said to Mikasa as he handed the garment back to her.

"Feeling better now?" she asked him.

"Better. I don't know if I can turn into a Titan yet though."

"If we're going to survive, we'll need you to." Mikasa said. She glanced at Klaus for a second before explaining their plan to get back to the wall. "I've discussed the matter with Klaus and we both agree that our best shot at getting back to the Wall is if you turn into a Titan and carry us back there. We'll never be able to get back safely if we travel by foot."

"But I'm not sure if...if I can control it yet," Eren stammered.

"It's a desperate plan," said Klaus, " but it's all we've got right now. Just to be on the safe side, I think that we should head back towards the encampment and gather what supplies we can. We can get maneuver gear for the both of us as well."

"He's right," Mikasa agreed, "We'll stand a better chance of surviving if we do that. At the very least, it'll let us stay alive for as long as possible. If Commander Irvin managed to organize any sort of evacuation and got back to the wall in one piece, he'll definitely send a search party for us. He won't want to lose his most precious assets if he thinks that there's any chance that we're still alive."

"Understood. When do we leave?" Eren asked.

"Just before dawn, when it's bright enough for us to move quickly." she answered, "Be ready."

* * *

The cold of the morning greeted the group of survivors when they neared the outer edge of the forest of giant trees. The sun had yet to rise, but hints of radiance spilling over the horizon granted a small degree of visibility to the world and all its creatures. Just before they reached the border separating the forest from the plains, they came across a couple of dismembered bodies lying on the ground. They were equipped with 3D maneuver gears but the equipment was crushed and in pieces.

"I wonder if anyone besides us managed to get into the forest." Klaus mused as he skirted around one of the corpses.

"We're here." Elizabeth said as they broke from the cover of the tree line. The encampment looked more like a painting of Hell than anything else. Half-eaten corpses and severed limbs lay strewn across the grassy landscape, a sea of green dotted with grotesque flourishes of blood and meat. Most of the tents were crushed and in tatters. Some looked like they had burned down in the chaos of the massacre. As they walked deeper into the carnage, Eren and Mikasa constantly scanned the area for any sign of Armin.

"The horses. They're gone!" Klaus stated, pointing at the tree where the Legion had secured its horses before the attack. "Do you see anyone here that looks like the Commander? Or the Lance Corporal?"

"I can't find any sign of them. Or Armin." Eren said with a sigh of relief, "Commander Irvin must have managed to organize an evacuation."

"Let's hope so. Find some maneuver gear and ration bars. We've gotta get out of here before the sun is up." said Mikasa.

The four soldiers searched the ruins of the camp as thoroughly as they could with the limited time that they had, but to their dismay they couldn't find any usable equipment or even any gas. It was almost as if the Titans had made sure to destroy every piece of equipment they could find. Another act of intelligence that did not align with their understanding of Titan-kind. It was a very sobering feeling, the thought that there was still so much they didn't know. One of the first lessons they were taught in the Training Corps was that to defeat your enemy, you must know your enemy. It was little wonder that humanity was so hard pressed to survive against the Titan onslaught if their knowledge of them was truly so limited.

"I found some ration bars, but they're kind of squashed." Elizabeth said as they regrouped in the middle of the encampment. She handed each of them a grey blob of sustenance that was squashed beyond its original brick-like form. "At least it can't taste any worse than it already is, eh?"

"Damn it, just our luck, isn't it?" Klaus cursed, kicking a crushed piece of maneuver gear on the floor in frustration.

"We don't have a choice then. We have to get back to the trees." Mikasa said. "Did you find any water, Elizabeth?"

"Yeah, I did!" she said, taking a canteen from the inside pocket of her jacket. "We'll have to share it though. Might last us for a day or two."

Satisfied that there was nothing more to salvage, the quartet quickly made their way back to the tree line. Their second excursion into the kingdom of giant trees was not uneventful, however. Instead of the smell of leaves and soil, what greeted them as they entered the forest was the stench of rotting flesh and putrid Titan breath. By the time they realized that they had walked into a trap, the Titans had surrounded them.

"Up! Now!" Mikasa snapped. She grabbed Eren and launched towards one of the lower-hanging branches. Elizabeth quickly did the same with Klaus, managing to get off the forest floor just in time to avoid a swipe from one of the Titans. But just as she landed on the branch and released her grasp on Klaus, one of the Titans rammed the tree with all its might, causing her to lose her balance and fall over the side of the branch. "Elizabeth!" Klaus screamed in horror as he desperately reached his hand out to grab her, but all he managed to catch was air.

Desperately, the falling girl righted her balance mid-air and launched her hooks at a nearby tree, allowing her to evade the clamping jaws of a leaping Titan just in time. Hastily swinging and swerving to avoid the Titans, she was forced away from the group, bringing many of the monsters with her.

"Fuck! I've got to help her!" Klaus bellowed from atop his perch. His posture was aggressive and his voice full of rage.

"No, Klaus! You don't have any gear!" Eren yelled in response.

Klaus punched the tree trunk in frustration, unable to contain the fear that was bubbling from within. His demeanor changed abruptly as he sank to his knees. "Mikasa! Please! You're the only one who can help her now!" He pleaded tearfully.

Hesitation grew in Mikasa's mind. An unfamiliar feeling of indecisiveness came over her as she looked down to see many Titans still trying to climb the trees to get at them. She did not want to leave Eren defenseless, even if it meant going against her own moral code. _Is that really all I am? Cold steel? Am I even human?_, she thought angrily, lamenting the hard decision that she was forced to make.

It took Eren's touch to enlighten her as to what she had to do. He grabbed her by the shoulders and knocked his head into hers, just like he did before the battle of Trost when she had told him to abandon the front lines and go to her if the battle went badly.

"Mikasa. You have to help her." he said. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. The Mikasa I know would never leave someone to die, right?" Eren stared straight into her eyes with a look that would brook no argument. There was something about his gaze that always managed to shake Mikasa up. It was like he was the only one who could see her true self. "Don't die." She pulled him close and whispered into his ear before leaping from the branch to pursue Elizabeth. She did not show it, but she was thankful to have Eren be her voice of reason yet again.

"Thank you, Mikasa. Thank you!" Klaus stammered pitifully as the girl disappeared from sight. Fighting to regain his composure, he wiped the tears from his face and grabbed Eren by his arm. We've got to climb higher." he said. As if to reinforce Klaus' statement, a Titan leaped upwards and tried to grab the branch, narrowly missing it by just a few inches. Needing no further incentive, they ascended the tree trunk as quickly as they could, all those mountain-climbing exercises finally coming to good use.

* * *

The two exhausted boys sat together on the highest tree branch they could climb onto as they waited for Mikasa to return with Elizabeth. Eren had never seen Klaus so worried. He didn't even bother to talk. All he did was constantly scan the area for any sign of the girls' return. Eren was quite worried himself. A biting fear clawed at his insides, making him feel sick. He couldn't help but wonder if he'd sent Mikasa to her doom. The mere thought of it scared the life out of him.

"God, Eren. When did you become so damned sappy?" he unintentionally said aloud.

"What?" Klaus threw him a strange look. The sound of whirring cables and expelling gas saved Eren from the need to explain himself. The pair quickly looked towards the direction the sound was coming from just in time to see Mikasa's gear run out of gas. She was carrying Elizabeth in her arms. It seemed that she had run out of gas as well. Eren felt his pulse die for a moment when he saw the two girls crash into the side of a tree with a loud smack. They fell heavily to the ground to become easy prey for the pursuing Titans.

Before he knew it, Eren was sailing through the air towards the Titans that were closing in on the girls. All conscious thought deserted him as instinct and rage took over. He wanted revenge. He wanted blood. He could taste his own blood as he bit down on his own hand. _Crush. Maim. Kill. Kill them all!_

Like a falling hammer, Eren's gigantic Titan form crushed a wild Titan beneath its heel as it landed, sending blood and gore splattering everywhere. He opened his jaws as wide as they would go and let out a bellow full of primal fury. Wild Titans of all shapes and sizes converged on Eren, each of them driven by instinct to feast upon his flesh. They stood no chance as Eren went on an uncontrolled rampage, destroying every opponent that stepped up to face him.

Klaus stood in awe and terror of the surreal sight before him. He had never seen his friend turn into a Titan before. The unbridled fury that he saw now chilled him to the bone. Despite his complete trust in Eren as a person, he found himself genuinely wondering if Eren was really human or just a monster. A sensation of dread slid under his skin when he realized that Eren seemed to be getting more and more out of control as the battle raged on. His movements were getting wilder and his eyes were white with hate.

Mikasa regained her consciousness just as a 20-meter class stepped forward to face Eren. In his almost feral state, Eren did not have the wit to dodge the Titan's sledgehammer punch, instead choosing to block it with his arms as he screamed in defiance. The larger Titan punished his foolishness with an unstoppable haymaker, crushing his arms and causing him to fall backwards. An expression of horror graced both Mikasa's and Klaus' faces when they realized that Eren was going to fall over. Mikasa desperately tried to drag the still unconscious Elizabeth out of harm's way, but she was too heavy to be moved in time. Every fibre of her being wanted to save Elizabeth, but she ultimately had no choice but to roll away at the last second before she was crushed beneath the massive body as well.

And so like a felled tree, Eren dropped to the earth, crushing everything beneath him with a thunderous slam. Somehow, his subconscious seemed knew what was happening, despite his obvious inability to exhibit direct control over his Titan-body's actions. Lying on the ground silently, tears started to flow from his eyes, though his face did not seem to express any sadness.

The expression on Klaus' face however, was the very epitome of despair. On his knees and in tears, he could not find any words to say. He vomited over the edge of the tree branch as his mind struggled to register what had just happened. He refused to accept it. He couldn't accept it.

Elizabeth was dead.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! :) Stay tuned for the next exciting chapter! As always, please review. :D**


	3. Monster

**Disclaimer : Shingeki no Kyojin created by Hajime Isayama.**

**A/N : Worked hard on the dialogue formatting this time round. I've always been confused by dialogue formatting, I hope I finally got it right this time! Funny isn't it? Dialogue is often such a big part of my stories, but I can't even get the formatting right. :X Well, learn as we live, eh? I'll probably go and correct all my previous stories/chapters too.  
**

**Credit to : Salaeren for proof-reading and providing input, as always. :) Vespalynd couldn't beta this week because she has exams. Boohoo. Good luck to her on that! Make sure to check out her fic - "Walls Between Us" - if you haven't already! Good stuff, I guarantee. ;)**

**Also, today is my birthday, so be an awesome reader and drop a review, eh? ;) Yes, this is how low I can stoop for reviews. DON'T JUDGE ME. **

* * *

**Chapter 3 - Monster**

"Hey, you're the Titan-shifter right?"

Somewhat startled by the straight-forwardness of the girl's question, Eren took a few moments to collect himself before answering it. "Uh...yeah," he stammered.

"I'm Elizabeth," she replied with a smile that completely caught him off-guard. He had gotten used to being treated like an outsider or a monster by most of the rank and file of the Scouting Legion. To have someone suddenly act warmly towards him was unexpected, to say the least.

"I'm Eren," he said. "You're with the supply guys, right?"

"Yup! I'm in charge of the supplies along with Klaus over there," Elizabeth answered. She turned and shouted at Klaus to come over. "Klaus! Klaus!"

"I'm busy!" came the reply. "Unlike you, I'm actually doing some work!" he continued as he walked over to the two of them with a large crate in his hands. "Stop cheating on me and start helping out, will you?"

"Hah! He isn't even my type," Elizabeth scoffed. "No offense, Eren."

"Um...none taken." Eren was somewhat at a loss as to what he should say. He extended a hand to Klaus and introduced himself. "I'm Eren," he said.

"Oh, you're the Titan boy!" Klaus exclaimed as he put the crate down and shook Eren's hand. "I'm Klaus." he said with a wide grin on his face, "I've been meaning to meet you! We both have, in fact."

"Really? Why's that?"

"We're both from Trost," Elizabeth explained. "And you're the one who sealed the hole in the Wall!"

"You saved our home. We can't thank you enough," Klaus added.

"It was nothing," Eren said sheepishly. "I was just doing what I had to do."

"Well, doesn't change the fact that you saved our home. Just accept our gratitude dammit." Klaus gave Eren a friendly slap on the back. "Now, why don't you just turn into a Titan and help us move all these damn crates? I'm sure it'd be easy, eh?"

"Don't be an idiot, Klaus! Shoo, go do your man work." Elizabeth dismissed him with a wave of her hand, like a noblewoman sending away a serveant.

"You can do some man work too you know?"

"What are you implying?" she glared at him.

"Nothing!" he answered hurriedly before taking the crate and running off to complete his task. "You're such a lazy bum," he muttered under his breath as he left.

"I heard that!" she yelled, prompting him to speed away from the scene. Turning to Eren, she grinned mischievously as she said, "Yeah, I'm a lazy bum. But what's the point of having a big meat bag like him around if not to do the heavy lifting for me?"

"I guess," Eren replied awkwardly.

"Come on, let's find somewhere more comfortable to chat," Elizabeth said happily as she took Eren by the arm. With a spring in her step, she led Eren through the castle courtyard. The grass in the yard was wild and unruly, left to grow freely for years when the Scouting Legion abandoned the place as their headquarters. At the other end was a large oak tree standing right beside the castle wall, the solitary steward of the castle for all these years. Elizabeth led Eren under the shade of the tree and gestured for him to take a seat.

"This should be a nice place," she said, seating herself on the soft grass. Eren did so as well, leaning himself against the strong old trunk of the oak tree.

"So, you wanted to talk?" he asked with a rather rigid tone of voice. He was never very good at making friends as a child and that didn't change even after he joined the 104th Trainees Corps. It always took a long time for him to really warm up to anyone.

"Lighten up, Eren! Why are you so tense?" Elizabeth sighed, putting a hand on his shoulder as she did so. "Just relax!"

"Okay, okay," Eren said. "Well, what do you want to talk about?"

"I don't know. Stuff," she replied, pressing a finger to her lips as if she was deep in thought. "Well, what's it like to turn into a Titan?"

"Huh?" Eren was rather bemused by her question. Did it always have to come down to his Titan powers? Did anyone still see him as Eren, and not just the boy who became a Titan? With a sigh, he said "It's hard to explain. I just bite my hand and then everything happens in a flash."

"I'm sorry, Eren. Do you not want to talk about this?"

"No. It's nothing," he said, afraid that he might have made his new friend feel bad. "Why are you so interested in that? Most people are just afraid of my power."

"Well, what's there to be afraid of?" Elizabeth chuckled. "You're on our side aren't you?"

"Of course I am. I hate Titans!"

"Then I'm not afraid of you. You saved my hometown, that's enough for me to trust that you're not just a monster." She smiled at him reassuringly.

"Thanks," Eren said, a hint of red starting to show on his cheeks. It felt good to be treated like a normal human being for the first time in a while. He decided that he liked his new friend. "It's nice to know that someone's got my back."

"Hey, we're all fighting for the same cause, eh? If you've got my back, I've got yours. I'm trusting you with that, okay?"

* * *

_I'm trusting you with that, okay?_

Eren screamed as he ripped the 20-meter class Titan's head clean off its shoulders. Throwing it aside, he sunk his teeth into the nape of the Titan's neck with all his fury, killing it where it stood. When he finally threw aside the decaying body, he fell to his knees and stared at the puddle of blood and meat on the ground that was once his friend. She trusted him. And he'd failed her. With shaking hands, Eren covered his face and let out a chilling howl.

More Titans converged on him, but he would not let them anywhere near Elizabeth's body. They came in droves and they died in droves. Before long, the forest floor was littered with steaming Titan corpses, but not a single Titan managed to get near the area around his dead friend.

Mikasa stood up and limped over to Eren when she realized that the last Titan had been killed. All the Titans had ignored her as they all went straight for the weeping Titan.

"Eren!" she tried to yell as she approached his kneeling form, but the broken ribs in her chest sent a wave of pain through her torso, causing her to cough painfully instead. She was lucky to be as lightly damaged as she was considering how hard she hit the tree and how far she fell. Her heavy breathing and coughing, caught the attention of Eren who glanced down at her. The sight of his teary eyes was a strange one to her : she never imagined that a Titan could look sad before. Putting a hand on the rough skin of his leg as she looked up to him, she asked him to come down.

"That's enough, Eren," she pleaded. "Please come down." Trying her best not to look at the Elizabeth's remains, Mikasa stepped back when a jet of steam erupted from the Titan's neck, signaling Eren's exit from the body. More steam billowed out from all over as Eren pulled himself out of the fleshy restraints.

Over the din of the escaping steam, a sorrowful shout pierced through. "You killed her!" Klaus screamed hysterically. He was on his hands and knees atop the tree branch, looking down at the whole scene from above. He fought hard not to vomit again, tears flowing freely from his eyes as he gazed upon the resting place of his beloved Elizabeth.

When Eren slid off the Titan body's back and landed on the ground, he immediately curled up into a ball and started crying too. He screamed incoherently, unable to come to terms with the tragedy that had occurred. Mikasa quickly limped over and tried to comfort him. "It wasn't you fault, Eren!" she said. "Stop it! Stop it!" But Eren couldn't stop. He didn't know what was happening. All the pain and anguish threatened to overwhelm his sanity as he laid there crying.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry," he muttered repeatedly. Mikasa tried to pull him to his feet but he simply slapped her hands aside. "Don't touch me!" he screamed. "I'm a monster! Get away from me!"

"No you're not! Eren..."

"Yes, he is!" Klaus exclaimed. "What is that thing, if not a monster?" He pointed an accusing finger at the decaying Titan corpse that was Eren's vessel.

"You know it was an accident, Klaus!" Mikasa yelled back at him. "It wasn't his fault!"

Taken aback by Mikasa's statement, Klaus struggled to hold on to what composure he had left. "I know that, I-" he stammered. "You saw him too! He didn't have control over that thing! He was just..." His words trailed off as he broke into tears yet again. It was too much to handle. He knew that Eren didn't mean to kill Elizabeth, but what could he do? Where should he project all his anger and despair, if not at Eren?

Turning her attention back to Eren, Mikasa held his head in her hands and forced him to look at her. "Eren. You couldn't have known what would happen. It wasn't your fault."

"That doesn't change the fact that I killed her, does it?" Eren shouted in her face. She had never seen his eyes so full of doubt before. So full of sadness. It was painful for her to see him like this, but she was at a loss for words. How could she possibly console him? She couldn't even begin to imagine what it must have felt like to be in his shoes.

She took a few deep, painful breaths to calm herself, grimacing each time she her lungs contracted and expanded. "Eren, we don't have time to stay here. It's day-time, the Titans could come at any minute." Eren didn't reply. He simply buried his face in his hands and ignored her.

"Klaus, we need to-" Mikasa started to say as she turned to face Klaus but she stopped mid-sentence when the horror of what she saw hit her hard. Klaus stood at the very precipice of the tree branch, his toes hanging dangerously over the edge as he balanced on his heels. He had stopped crying and now he had a calm expression on his face. Mikasa recognized that expression. She had worn it once before, when she too had given up on life after learning of Eren's supposed demise. But this was different. Mikasa had chosen to fight on instead of dying. Klaus did not look like he would do the same. She didn't have time to call out his name before he launched himself from his perch. Mikasa quickly turned to hold Eren's head to her chest, shielding him from the gruesome sight. There was an unceremonious crunching sound followed by a wet squelch, and Klaus was no more.

Terrified of what his reaction to Klaus' death would be, Mikasa held on to Eren as tightly as she could, desperate not to let him lose himself in guilt. "No, Eren. Please!" she whispered in his ear as he fought desperately to break free of her grasp. Eren continued to struggle silently against her protection, unable to form any coherent words from the torrent of emotions that were threatening to suffocate him. She was protecting him again, he realized. Why was he even surprised at this point? He suddenly stopped moving and put a hand on Mikasa's cheek, surprising her. Pulling himself away from her, he looked into her eyes sadly and said, "Let me go." Mikasa felt all the strength leave her body when she saw his broken gaze. His dead eyes. Eren got up and stumbled over to Klaus' body, leaving her there to lament her failure. Because she had failed Eren after all. The Eren she used to know was gone. Murdered by unfortunate circumstances and remorse.

Eren stood over Klaus' body silently, absorbing every detail of his cold, lifeless body as if to punish himself for the part he had played in his death. He'd seen plenty of people die before, but never had he been the cause of those deaths, indirect or not. He was completely numb as his mind struggled to register the fact that his friends were dead, constantly drumming the thought of Klaus' words into his skull.

_What is that thing, if not a monster?_

_A monster?_

Eren lifted his arm up and gazed upon it. He saw a perfectly healthy arm, but nearly ten hours ago, it was nothing but a grotesquely broken limb.

"Mikasa," he called out weakly, snapping the girl out of her stupor. She got up and walked over to him, but he never looked away from Klaus. _When did his back become so weak?_, she thought silently as she stood behind him. She remembered being carried on his back once, so many years ago. She remembered thinking that there was nothing stronger in the whole world. But now it seemed to her that the weight of his burdens were crushing him. She could almost hear the cracks opening up in his spine, threatening to break him apart.

"Mikasa," Eren said again after a brief silence, "I...I killed them. I'm-"

"Eren. It wasn't your faul-"

"I'm a monster."

Mikasa didn't say a word. For a few moments, Eren shut his eyes, secretly hoping that she would deny his statement. Lie to him. Yell at him. It didn't matter. He didn't know how he could live with himself anymore. He was going to break into tears again when the sudden sensation of wool against his skin startled him.

Standing behind Eren, Mikasa gently wrapped her maroon scarf around his neck, much like he had done for her all those years ago.

"You're not a monster," Mikasa whispered, wrapping her arms around him from behind and holding on tightly. "A monster would never have given me this."

_I'd never love a monster._

She nestled her face into the small of his back and tightened her grip on him as if she was afraid he was going to fly away.

Mikasa's words seemed to echo in Eren's head as he stood there, stunned. Silently, she took his hand in hers and tugged at it, prompting him to follow as she led him out of the clearing. A strong wind buffeted the trees as they left, causing a storm of leaves to rain down on the dead. When they entered the forest that morning, there were four of them. As evening came, there were only two.

* * *

The two of them sat in the hollow of a dead giant tree together, watching the sun float lazily downwards to kiss the horizon. They didn't run into any more Titans that day; it seemed that Eren had killed just about every Titan in the forest. Mikasa's broken ribs constantly drenched her in excruciating pain, limiting her mobility to a great extent. By the time they'd reached the border of the forest again, she was too weak to walk.

"Here, eat this," Eren whispered, tearing a small chunk of his ration bar to feed to Mikasa. He held her against himself with one arm as he put the food in her mouth. Mikasa weakly closed her lips around his fingers and chewed lightly. Swallowing was painful for her, causing her to cough uncontrollably. Eren rubbed her back gently to soothe her before raising the canteen of water he'd found to her lips. Finding the water on his second search of the encampment was a rare bit of luck in what had been a truly dark day of misfortune. Mikasa managed to swallow a few gulps of water before experiencing another fit of painful coughing.

"Stay strong, Mikasa. I'm sure help will be here soon. It's like you said right? They'll at least want to confirm whether we're dead or not."

Mikasa nodded weakly as Eren fed her another piece of the ration bar. "But it'd be better if you could-" she stopped to take a labored breath. "-turn into a Titan once you're strong enough."

"No. All that monster brings is death." He swept Mikasa's hair aside to reveal the scar he'd given her when he had attacked her after turning into a Titan in Trost. Slowly tracing the scar with his finger, he said, "I did this to you. I'm sorry."

"You know you'll have to use that power again eventually." Mikasa slowly shifted her sitting position so that she could rest her head on Eren's chest.

Eren did not reply. He simply stared out into the plains as night slowly descended on the world. It hurt him to not be able to deny her words. He knew it was true that he needed this power to reach the basement. To find the truth and eradicate all the Titans. All those fucking monsters. He wanted to tear each and everyone of them apart limb from limb. Blood boiling at the thought of it, Eren slammed his fist into the tree trunk, startling Mikasa.

"Eren..." Mikasa said. "Don't let your rage consume you."

"You should rest, Mikasa." he said with a tone that told Mikasa he didn't want to talk about it. Reluctant to drop the topic but too weary to continue, Mikasa closed her eyes with a sigh and slowly dozed off.

_Rage? That's right, rage is all I can remember from when I turned into a Titan._

Looking down at Mikasa, Eren couldn't help but smile a little as he gazed upon her, despite their bleak situation. Watching her sleep like that reminded him of the old days, when they were still happy little kids. Mikasa always loved to sleep with him by her side back then. He guessed that it made her feel secure. It made her feel protected. The thought that there was a time when he was the one offering protection to her rather than the other way around was a strange one. It almost seemed surreal to him.

_What is she to you? _Eren couldn't help but remember the words that Elizabeth had said to him back in the camp. Looking upon Mikasa's face now, he asked himself the same question. He felt the warmth of her skin on his chest and the weight of her body against his body and asked himself : _What are you to me?_

"Fight," Mikasa suddenly muttered in her sleep, breaking his train of thought.

_Fight? Yeah, if you don't fight you don't win right? I told you that._

Suddenly, images of Klaus and Elizabeth crept into his thoughts, bringing with them the bitter taste of remorse. Klaus fought. Elizabeth fought. But now they were both dead. Klaus who had only wanted to be a carpenter and Elizabeth who wanted to see the outside world. Dreams, memories, lives; all gone in an instant. The world is just so cruel. Eren felt a cloying sense of hopelessness start to come over him again, but the feeling of Mikasa's hair brushing against his chin snapped him back to reality. He could hear a painful wheeze in her breathing as she slept, but he wouldn't have been able to tell that she was in pain from the absolutely serene look on her face.

_That's right, I can't stop fighting_, he thought. It didn't matter whether or not he could live with Klaus and Elizabeth's deaths. Not right now, at least. Because just like Klaus needed to protect Elizabeth, Eren needed to protect Mikasa now too.

_I'll protect you._

Eren still didn't know what he felt about Mikasa. Perhaps there was something more, deep down in the confines of his heart, but he couldn't think about it right now. Not after everything they'd been through. All he knew was that in the cold darkness of the forest, she gave him warmth. She gave him a reason to keep fighting. And for now, that was enough.

When night finally fell, it started to rain. Eren removed the scarf from his neck and draped it over Mikasa. The constant beat of raindrops against the forest floor seemed to soothe Mikasa, lulling her into an even deeper sleep. It had been so long since she'd slept near Eren like this. To her, no place in the world could have been safer or warmer than in his arms. Eren stayed awake, keeping a silent vigil as Mikasa slumbered. He wasn't going to let anything touch Mikasa. Not as long as he lived. He promised to himself that he would bring her home. But to do that, he had to keep a watchful eye.

And they were not alone.

* * *

**It was sad for me to kill of Klaus and Elizabeth. D: I grew rather attached to them, I must admit. For OCs, they were pretty good, eh? Well, this may or may not be the last you see of them in this story. ;) You'll just have to wait and see!**

**The next update might take a little longer than the last two. Just thought I'd give you guys a heads up!**

**As always, thanks a lot for taking the time to read my story! I appreciate it greatly. :) Remember to drop a review! Thanks!**


	4. Corruption

**A/N : Finally, chapter 4 is done. :D Sorry it took a while! Heh. Took my time with it and also suffered some writer's block at certain points! It's so hard to develop Eren and Mikasa in a more explicitly romantic direction while keeping them in character. Ugh. Well, I hope I did well enough.**

**Big thank you to all you readers! The feedback I've been receiving is so encouraging. :D Keep them reviews coming! Hehe!**

**Credit to : Salaeren and Vespalynd, as always. :D Best betas ever. Go check out Vespalynd's fic : 'Walls Between Us'! You won't be disappointed. :)**

**I recently got a tumblr, so if anyone wants to follow me there, feel free to do so! I post a lot of SnK, Mikaere, Bleach (Ichiruki), Silent Hill, Hellraiser, random poetry, Nightwish and plenty of other random stuff! It'd be great to connect with my readers too. :)**

_** deathmakesapoet . tumblr . com**_

* * *

**Chapter 4 - Corruption**

The rain was unrelenting. The ferocity of the downpour only increased as the night wore on, filling the forest with the sound of water drumming against tree-bark and thunder rumbling from far above. It was as if some omniscient being was weeping over Klaus' and Elizabeth's bodies, crushed and cold in the wet mud. Klaus' corpse lay sprawled on the floor, his hand pointing in the direction of Elizabeth's remains, almost as if he was desperately reaching out for his beloved. They were fated lovers, torn apart by fate. A bitter irony. Perhaps it was not a sad god looking upon them, but a cruel one that reveled in their tragedy. Or perhaps there was no deity watching the clearing after all. In the blackness of night, there was no one present to witness this morbid scene. No one human, at least. Very briefly, a flash of lightning illuminated the forest, revealing a large silhouette towering before the deceased lovers. Silently, it reached a very hairy, ape-like hand towards them.

* * *

By morning, the rain had finally stopped. The air was cold and misty, making Eren shiver. He'd dozed off after all, though he couldn't remember when. Still half-asleep, he gently reached out and ran his hand across Mikasa's arm, checking if she was still there. She stirred at his touch, but instead of waking up she wrapped his hands tightly around herself and continued to sleep soundly.

"Mikasa," Eren whispered. "Wake up, it's morning."

The girl stubbornly refused to get up. "Just a bit more," she said softly. She shifted her body so that she could lean against him more comfortably.

"What's up Mikasa? You're not normally like this," he said. The Mikasa he knew was always disciplined and never acted spoiled. This was extremely out of character for her. Or at least, he thought it was.

"Fine." Mikasa pushed herself up and away from him, scooting over to create a small distance between them. "You're right, it's morning, we should go."

"What are you mad about?"

Looking away from Eren, she said "I'm not mad." She took the scarf that was draped over her and wrapped it around her neck, covering the lower half of her face.

"You're angry and you're not telling me why," Eren said, squeezing her shoulder. "It's not good for you."

Mikasa turned to meet his gaze, showing him the pained look in her eyes. He'd seen that expression before. She wore it every time he reprimanded her for being overprotective. Seeing it again now made him feel regretful. He knew that she only meant well, yet he always scolded her whenever she offered to help. But he couldn't help himself. Being coddled by her just never sat well with him.

"It's nothing, Eren." She moved to get to her feet, but Eren grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back down.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "I'm not letting you go until you tell me. Come on, Mikasa, you're always trying to protect me like a mother hen or something. Don't just hide if you have a problem."

Mikasa's cheeks turned a light shade of red, baffling Eren for a second. "It's nothing much, really," she said. "It's just... I haven't slept with you like that since we were kids. I just... I miss it.

"It's been so long since it's been just you and me. So long since I didn't have to be completely on my guard." Her expression suddenly turned sheepish as she said "I'm sorry Eren, it's stupid. I-"

"You're right, you're so tired you're going crazy," Eren said, cutting her off. He pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her. "You can sleep for another hour."

"Eren?"

"Sleep, I'll keep watch." Eren pressed a finger against his own lips to shush her, then tightened his hold around her.

"I'm not tired, Eren," Mikasa said, a wide smile spreading across her face. She could feel the heat in her cheeks as she blushed violently at his touch. She felt an all-encompassing feeling of happiness take hold of her and couldn't help but grin stupidly. For a brief moment, all the bleakness of their situation, all the cruel unfairness of their world didn't matter anymore. She just wanted this time in his arms to last forever. She didn't want to sleep. She wanted to be awake to experience every bit of it. Because it was proof to her that she was more than just a cold, rational solider prodigy. More than just Eren's guardian. She was a woman. And she still felt the need to be loved.

"Remember how we used to take a nap like this when we got tired from gathering wood?" she whispered, the sound of Eren's heartbeat soothing her like a lullaby.

Eren sighed and looked down at Mikasa. "Yeah, I do. I'd always go to sleep and when I woke up you'd always be there sleeping right on top of me like a fish."

"A fish? How is that like a fish?" Mikasa chuckled at the silly image that popped into her head.

"I don't know. You know how in the market, the fishmonger stacks all his fish in a row, one on top of the other? You were like that."

"Well, it's cold outside."

"Isn't that what you have the scarf for?"

Mikasa pushed herself up to look Eren in the eyes, their faces barely inches apart. "Yeah, it keeps me warm when I'm cold. Thanks," she said. Eren didn't know what to say in reply. He just held her gaze for a few seconds before looking away bashfully. He didn't want to look into her intense grey orbs, so full of love and longing that he could feel them stare straight into his soul. He decided to focus on her lips instead. They were so close to his own that he could feel the heat of her breath on his face, but not near enough for them to meet. There was just a little gap between them, so easily breached if he wanted to. But he didn't do it. Eren quickly pulled himself away at the last second, hitting his head on the tree in the process.

"What are you doing?" Mikasa asked, a disappointed expression on her face.

"Huh? What?" Eren took a few deep breaths to calm himself before turning back to face her. "I'm glad you like that scarf. It was my favorite."

Sighing, Mikasa pulled her knees to her chest and rested her head in between them. "Then you shouldn't have given it to me," she mumbled, annoyed that things did not work out the way she had hoped.

"Why not? You were cold, weren't you?" he asked, but she didn't reply.

Eren waited a few moments but when she failed to answer he sighed and said: "Well, there are more important things to me than a scarf, so I don't care if I had to give it away."

"More important things like what? Getting yourself killed?"

The expression on Eren's face turned sour. He hated being nagged by her about this. "I've told you before, I'm not your son or your brother. Why can't you just get off my case?"

"Because I don't want to see you die, Eren! I want to protect you!" As always, Mikasa could only see what she had to do. She was blind to the fact that her own good intentions were pushing Eren away from her, fueling his insecurities and hostility like kindling to a fire.

"Then I'll make sure to die far away from you!" he bellowed angrily. Even now she was trying to be his protector. Trying to imply that he was just a weakling who needed a guardian. On the surface, he let his temper burn, but deep inside he couldn't help but feel conflicted by the self-contempt that accompanied his anger. His world had always been black and white. Anything evil deserves hatred and retribution. Anything good deserves love and kindness. Isn't it all so simple? So why did Mikasa earn so much of his ire? She wasn't just family. Morbid as it may sound, their lives were intertwined the moment they killed those kidnappers together. She was all that was left in the world for him. The thought of being completely alone in the world was a scary one to him. Yet he couldn't help but resent her, and that only made him hate himself.

Mikasa failed to say anything. The magic of the moment had gone. Fate was never kind to her, it seemed. Resigned, she tried to get to her feet, prompting Eren to get up and lend her his shoulder.

"I'm feeling better now," she said monotonously. "It still hurts, but I can move again."

"Just lean on me," he said, offering her his shoulder, but she flatly refused it, choosing to stand on her own.

Eren looked down at his feet and kept quiet. He was going to say something when the sound of hoof beats came from the distance. Looking towards the horizon, they could see a dust cloud being kicked up by the horses of the rescue party heading towards them. They were still quite a way off from where they were, but there was no mistaking their existence.

"Looks like you don't have to turn into a Titan after all."

"Thankfully," Eren said with a sigh of relief. "It's better this way, anyway."

"You can't hide from it forever, Eren. It's a part of you."

"No, I never wanted this power. I don't know how I got it, but I never wanted it. It's not a part of me, Mikasa. I don't want to be a monster."

Mikasa didn't want to argue further, so she let it rest. She knew that Eren would have to face the problem sooner or later, anyway. The silence that followed made Eren uneasy. The tension between them was so thick he could almost grasp it with his hand.

Unbidden, the thought of the tender moment they had just shared right before their fight resurfaced in his mind with a strange mix of confusion and happiness. Being so close to her felt so right, but he didn't have the courage to go through with it in the end.

_I don't know what I was doing. It's Mikasa, right? Just Mikasa?_

The rescue party was still quite far away, so they continued their wait in silence. Everything seemed to be fine until the sound of thunderous footsteps overpowered the hoof beats of the horses. Further down the tree line, a Titan broke from cover and started sprinting towards the soldiers ahead. Eren recognized it. There was no mistaking that blonde hair or feminine physique.

"The female Titan!" he yelled, pointing a finger at the charging monster. "It's going for the rescue party!" He could taste the bile in his throat as he watched that monster take her large steps across the grass. The monster that killed Petra, Auruo, Gunter and Erd. All because Eren had chosen to trust in their power instead of his own. He should have went with his gut feeling. They were humanity's best, but they didn't stand a chance against the female Titan. He had the strength to save them. He had the responsibility to save them. And yet he didn't fight until it was too late. He didn't rip that monster apart before it tore into his friends without mercy. He didn't even move a finger to kill it until it was far too late. The mere thought of it made him so angry that he could almost feel the steam escaping from his body. He wanted to kill that beast. That scum. Vermin. Everything else in the world grayed out, completely overshadowed by his rage. There was nothing else. Only vengeance.

"Eren, what's happening?" Mikasa exclaimed. "Your body, it's-"

Looking down at himself, Eren realized that steam really was coming off his body.

"What the? What is this?" he said, gasping. His arm suddenly started to spasm violently. Forced onto his knees by the pain in his steaming arm, a dull migraine hit him at the same time, blocking out all of his senses as he drowned in waves of agony.

"Eren! Eren, get a hold of yourself!"

Without warning, he lashed out at Mikasa, sending her tumbling to the ground. Shocked at his instinctive action, Eren wanted to go help her up, but his body did not seem to be under his own control anymore. He could feel his bones shift under his ripping skin and the furious expanding and contracting of his muscles. Something was wrong with his body. It was changing right before his eyes. His skin was tearing and flaking off, revealing the redness of muscle underneath.

Ignoring the pain in her chest, Mikasa got up and held Eren's thrashing body in a choke hold, desperate to calm him down. "Eren! Stop it! It's me, Mikasa!"

Hearing Mikasa's name seemed to have an effect on him, as he started to calm down. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words could come out. He could only growl and grunt like an animal. When he looked to Mikasa, she could see true fear in his eyes. For a second, she was at a loss for words, but as always, she managed to retain a cool head in times of distress. "We need to hide. The female will come looking for us once she's done with the rescue party," she said firmly. Supporting Eren with all the strength she had left, she dragged him back towards the forest. His skin was hot to the touch and the steam was burning her, but she endured it for his sake. As they limped deeper into the forest, a cloying feeling of fear and dread settled within Mikasa's heart, feeding on the knowledge that the rescue party was most probably doomed. But that fear paled in comparison to her concern of Eren's current condition.

The sounds of the dying soldiers reached them even from this far away, their screams filled with horror and bitterness. They could almost feel the ground shake beneath them as the female Titan went about its grisly work. But they could not look back. They were leaving their comrades to die yet again, but they could not look back. All that mattered right now to Mikasa was Eren, even if that meant giving up everything else.

"Mi-" Eren tried to say her name, but for some reason his ability to speak was severely impaired. His words kept getting caught in his throat, coming out only as guttural sounds instead of coherent speech. Mikasa wanted to continue moving deeper into the woods, but she couldn't withstand the heat emanating from his body anymore. Reluctantly, she stopped and let go of him. Eren gingerly took her throbbing red hands in his and was stunned when he saw his own hands, devoid of skin. Holding her hands in his own only made it even more apparent that his hands were not human, such was the contrast between them.

"What's happening to you, Eren?" Mikasa asked with a trembling voice. The burns in her palms stung her but she still reached a hand out to touch him. He looked up at her, revealing his steaming face. What she saw made her heart stop. Just like the rest of his body, his skin was flaking off to reveal the muscles underneath. Before Mikasa's very eyes, Titan skin started to form over Eren's musculature as he fell to the ground and writhed in pain, releasing large amounts of steam. When the transformation was finally complete and the steam dissipated, he propped himself against a nearby tree to support his exhausted body.

Mikasa was speechless. She limped over to Eren and lifted his face to see what had become of it. What she saw wasn't the boy she had grown up with. Not her friend. Her hero. Her love. What she saw was a Titan. Eren did not change in size, but there was no mistaking what he had turned into.

Eren was at a loss for words as well, though he could not speak even if he wanted to. Everything had happened so fast. Was his greatest fear coming true? Was he no longer human, but a monster? A Titan? What would his friends think of him now? No. What would Mikasa think of him? He looked up at her, hoping that he wouldn't see any trace of fear or disgust in her face. Her expression was one of anguish, yet her gaze was tender and full of concern. He couldn't read what she was thinking, and that scared him more than anything. Every second that went by without a word from Mikasa only heightened his dread.

After taking a few moments to collect herself, Mikasa said "Everything... Everything will be alright. Okay, Eren?"

Unsure of how to react, he simply nodded.

The sound of titanic footsteps pounding on the forest floor reached their ears, prompting them to quickly duck behind a tree. They spied the female Titan walking in their general direction, but it didn't seem to know their exact location. It was northwest of their hiding spot, scanning the area for any sign of them. Suddenly, the Titan stopped and tilted its head upwards. Mikasa quickly put a hand over Eren's mouth and gestured to him to keep quiet. It was trying to listen for any sounds that they made, Eren surmised. For a few breathless moments, the female stood motionless, trying to locate its prey. A scream shattered the quiet of the forest, prompting the Titan to look in the direction that it came from. It looked around the area as if it was unsure if it should stay or follow the sound. After scanning the immediate vicinity one final time, the female started moving in the direction of the scream with what seemed like reluctance.

The Titan wasn't the only one whose attention was drawn by the scream though. Mikasa looked to Eren and gulped. "Did you hear that?" she asked him.

Eren nodded and looked back towards where the noise had come from. He punched the tree trunk in frustration, crushing the bark and leaving a large, cracked indent. Apparently, his current condition still afforded him enhanced strength, despite his lack of size. He glanced at Mikasa, showing her his fierce green eyes. She felt a little relief, knowing that at least that part of him had not changed.

"Let's go."

Eren didn't need any further encouragement to begin his pursuit of the female. He shoved all the turmoil in his mind aside for the moment, choosing to focus his attention on the matter at hand instead. Supporting Mikasa conventionally would have taken too much time, so he carried her on his back instead. Once they were ready, they immediately set off to find the source of the scream before the female Titan did. They knew that they had to hurry the moment the both of them heard it. Because there was no mistaking Armin's voice.

* * *

**What's with the ape-like being? What's with Eren's sudden transformation? Armin is still alive and in the forest? How? Who else is he with? Will Eren and Mikasa reach him in time? Find out in the next exciting chapter of 'Tears of a Titan'!**

**Next update will probably take around 2-3 weeks as well. :P I'll get it out as soon as possible! In the mean time, giving me reviews makes me happy. :) And a happy writer writes better and faster! Haha!**

**Till next time!**


	5. Bite

**A/N : This fic was originally planned to be a short to medium length fic about survival and love. However, after careful consideration, I have decided to turn this into a full blown epic! :D I will incorporate my own theories and whatnot into the story, essentially turning it into my own version of SnK or my guess at what will happen in SnK. Of course, it deviates from canon from Chapter 30 on-wards! Haha. Let's see how accurate my guesses are, eh? Follow me on this journey, who knows, maybe I'll guess right and all of your minds will explode from the awesomeness. If it does happen, just remember that I called it here first. :X**

**If anyone has any theories they'd like to contribute, feel free to message me! I certainly need all the help I can get. There are definitely more questions than answers in the manga right now!**

**Credit to : Salaeren as always for being my most trusted beta and adviser, and HurricaneKatty for taking over clean-up duties this time round! Thanks guys! :)**

**To my readers : Follow me on tumblr if you are interested! Already met a few of my readers there and they are all so awesome. :D**

**deathmakesapoet . tumblr . com**

* * *

**Chapter 5 - Bite**

"What do we do now?" Connie asked desperately, his tone inflected with a heavy dose of dread.

_Why me? Why does everyone always ask me?_ Jean pounded a frustrated fist against the tree trunk as he watched as Armin lay helpless on the ground far below them. Three Titans converged on the helpless boy at a casual pace, slowly strolling towards him from two different directions. The largest of the three came from the east while the two smaller titans approached from the South.

"Jean, we need to do something!" Connie kept pressing him for a plan of action. An order. Anything. He didn't want to see Armin die.

_Damn it. Why am I always the fucking leader? Everyone's lives in my hands. When did I earn the __right? _Jean hurriedly scanned the area to see if they could use the terrain to their advantage.

"Connie, you're good at tight turns, right? Look over there," Jean said, pointing to an area where the trees grew close together. "Take that large one with you and weave through those trees. Go!"

"Alright!" The short boy immediately leaped from the tree branch and swung towards the largest Titan. "Yo, tall, dark and ugly! Over here!" he bellowed, catching the Titan's attention. It waved its hands around, trying to swat Connie as if he were a fly, but the nimble boy managed to evade all its attacks with relative ease. Completely forgetting about Armin, it started to follow Connie instead, its arms outstretched as it tried to catch him in its hands.

"Ymir, I'll leave those two smaller ones to you. Just lead them away. I'll get Armin and we'll meet back here." Jean drew his hardened steel blades from the dispensers at his hips. "What are you waiting for? Go!"

Ymir didn't say a word. There was a smirk on her face as she nodded at him before swinging off to lead the Titans away. Jean never knew what to think about her. Always cynical and sarcastic, she was also capable of being kind and thoughtful a times in her own way, especially around Christa. To him, Ymir was a true enigma. Regardless, it wasn't the time to think of that. As soon as the two smaller Titans started to follow her, Jean fired the hooks from his maneuver gear at the trees opposite him and swung himself down to Armin.

"Are you alright?" he asked when he landed right beside the boy. "What happened?"

"I ran out of gas," Armin said. "I wasn't efficient enough with my gas usage, I'm sorry."

"Now's not time to talk about that! Come on, I'll bring you up to-"

"Jean, watch out! Behind you!" Connie yelled as he came about. He had trapped the Titan in between the trees and was now swinging back to them.

Quickly turning around, Jean was horrified to see an enormous Titan foot descending towards them. The shadow it cast blanketed them in darkness, blotting out the light that was seeping between the leaves far above. _Where did this Titan come from? Fuck, I don't want to die here! _

Keeping his wits about him, Armin ripped Jean's sword from his grasp and pulled the trigger on its handle, causing the maneuver gear to fire a grappling hook at a nearby tree. "Retract!" he screamed as he desperately held onto Jean. Immediately understanding what was to be done, Jean activated the gas mechanism, reeling the two of them towards the tree at high speed. They slid across the rough ground and slammed heavily into the tree, narrowly avoiding being squashed underneath the Titan's foot.

"Nice thinking, Armin!" Jean quickly got up and pulled the boy to his feet. "Shit, it's already on us! Move!" He grabbed Armin by his jacket and dragged him aside. The lumbering giant started to move towards them, but Jean's swift movements meant that by the time it closed the distance they were already in the air.

"What the hell is happening?" he exclaimed as he narrowly avoided the monster's grasping hands. With Armin in tow, he quickly ascended towards the higher branches, desperate to get away from the danger of low ground.

"Jean, get up here!" Connie shouted when he saw Jean start to make his way upwards. He and Ymir were already perched on top of a tree branch, watching the events from high above. Jean needed no further invitation, immediately firing his grappling hooks in that direction.

"This one is larger than the others," Ymir stated when Jean and Armin finally reached the relative safety of the branch. "Look, it's at least 20 meters. Maybe even 25. Unusual, isn't it?"

As if it knew that they were talking about it, the Titan turned to face them. Its arms hung languidly by its sides as it stared up at them unblinkingly, mouth agape. Most Titans tended to wear unnervingly goofy smiles on their faces that only made them seem even more horrifying, but this one was different. Frozen on its face was a pinched expression, as if it were going to break into tears at any moment. It walked directly below the branch and looked upwards, its gaze intense and unflinching.

"What the hell is wrong with this bastard? Is he a deviant?" Connie exclaimed, exasperation evident in his voice.

"I don't know, but I'm not staying to find out. Let's get out of here." Jean wanted to get as far away from the ugly thing as he could. He could hear the sound of fingers clawing against the tree bark, prompting him to look down. The Titans that Connie and Ymir had led away earlier were back already, climbing all over each other and clawing at the tree trunk to get at them. Fortunately, they were high enough that they were relatively safe, even from the deviant. Nevertheless, sticking around to test how secure they really were wasn't exactly high on Jean's list of priorities.

"If it lets us," Ymir said in her usual cynical tone.

"What do you mean?"

"Look." Ymir did a little hop, pretending that she was going to jump from the branch. The instant her feet were in the air, the deviant leapt upwards and snatched at the branch, barely scratching the underside. The vibrations caused by its swipe almost made Jean fall over the side of their safe haven. Both Connie and Armin managed to maintain their balance and they quickly caught him, just in time to save him from becoming a falling Titan snack.

"Thanks!" Jean gasped. He could feel his heart in his throat.

"If we try to swing away, he could catch us when we reach the bottom of our arc," Ymir said. She glanced at Jean and smirked. "Even if we all swing at once, at least one of us is gonna make a tasty snack for it. Well, what do we do now, leader-man?"

"Hey Ymir, we're in dire straits here," Connie said, trying to ease the growing tension. "Let's just get through this together."

"Connie's right," Armin chimed.

"What's your problem, Ymir? Your attitude isn't helping. Don't you want to find Christa?" Jean said to her angrily. "If you want to try and survive alone then by all means go fuck off!"

The cynical look on her face immediately turned into a scowl. "Can't take a little sarcasm? Go cry to your mother, you little baby. If you're going to act like this then I'm better off on my own anyway."

Jean moved towards Ymir as if he was going to hit her, but Armin quickly stepped in between the two. "Stop it! Jean, you over-reacted. You're scared, we understand that. We're all scared," he said with an air of authority that belied his usual timid demeanor. "Ymir, we're comrades. We're friends aren't we? We've got to work together!"

"You let the boy upstage you, leader-man," the freckle-faced girl teased. "And to think, I was actually quite intrigued by your sudden change in character. From stuck up coward who wasn't afraid to admit it to stuck up coward who pretends to be the hero. Is this the real you? Or just an act? I wonder."

To her surprise, he didn't take the bait. "It's fine if you want to hide behind that facade of yours, if it helps you sleep at night," he said calmly after taking a few deep breaths, "but right now, if we don't do anything, we will die. And I refuse to die here in an unmarked grave."

An awkward silence followed his words as Ymir eyed him warily. Eventually, she chuckled and nodded at the reluctant leader. "No point arguing with a fool. I'll die of old age long before this Titan down here can reach me," she said. "Well, at least you're not a boring fool."

"Whatever." Not interested in arguing with her any more, Jean turned to Armin. "So, do you have any ideas?"

"Well, the way I see it we have two options," he answered. "It's poised right below us and seems to be ready to jump at the slightest-"

"Um, guys," Conny said, interrupting Armin. "Guys, we've got a newcomer"

Looking to where he was pointing, the group was shocked to see the female Titan watching them from a distance.

"When did it get here?" Jean gasped.

"I don't know. I just saw it while you guys were arguing. Nearly peed my pants!"

Armin's features were distraught at the sight of the blonde-haired Titan. He could tell that it was staring straight at him. To him, its gaze seemed strangely familiar, serving only to heighten the suspicions that had been growing in his mind ever since it appeared for the first time. He couldn't help but feel that it bore a strong resemblance to someone he knew. And it's actions were too strange yet deliberate to be overlooked. Still standing in the same spot, the Titan looked conflicted, as if it was having an internal debate as to what to do next. After a few moments, it turned around and started to walk away.

"Annie! You're Annie, aren't you?" Armin bellowed, stopping the Titan dead in her tracks. She glanced back at them, her eyes meeting Armin's. Looking into her dull grey orbs, he knew that he was right.

"Wha- what did you just say?" Connie stammered, completely blind-sided by the startling revelation. "You said that's Annie?"

"You're joking right?" Jean said. Only Ymir seemed unperturbed. Suddenly, thunderous footsteps alerted them to yet another newcomer. Turning around, they were shocked to see that it was the armored Titan.

* * *

"Are you alright?" Mikasa asked from atop Eren's back. He simply grunted in reply. They had been running after the female Titan for a while now. With its gigantic strides it easily outpaced the two of them, even with Eren's enhanced speed and stamina. They'd almost lost sight of it on a couple of occasions, but managed to keep up each time by doubling their pace.

Being carried on his back gave Mikasa time to register the fact that he wasn't what you would call human any more. His skin was rough like sandpaper and she could barely withstand the heat emanating from his body. She had expected the ride to be a painful one due to her broken ribs, but she was surprised when it didn't turn out as badly as she thought. Perhaps she'd gotten used to the pain, or she was just numb from it.

She certainly felt numb inside her heart.

She didn't know where to begin with her concerns for her miniature Titan. What had happened to him was beyond explanation and thinking about it only made her head spin. She couldn't help but wonder if he would ever turn back to normal. She also couldn't understand the feeling she had felt the first time she saw him like this. Was it fear? Anguish? Shock? She couldn't describe it, but it didn't sit well with her. She had disappointed herself. She loved Eren regardless of what he looked like. Even if he were to stay this way forever, she'd still love him. And yet she had a moment of weakness. A moment of doubt. It disappeared just as quickly as it came, but it did happen, and it mortified her.

"Look, it stopped!" Mikasa said, breaking away from her troubled thoughts. She pointed a finger at the female Titan. It was still a distance ahead of them, but it was apparent that it was no longer moving. Likewise, Eren stopped as well. "Eren? Why did you stop?" she asked him, but he did not react to her words at all. He simply stared straight at the female, his body shaking as steam started to vent out of his pores. He was angry and Mikasa knew it.

"Eren, sto-" The boy suddenly let go of Mikasa, dropping her to the ground with a thud. He staggered forward a few steps before letting out a feral screech. Enraged, Eren pounded on the ground repeatedly, creating a large crater in the floor. Mikasa got to her feet and moved to touch him but he spun around and swatted her hand away. His fluorescent green eyes glowed with a primal brilliance that struck terror into her heart. She'd seen this before. It was the same as when he attacked her in Trost. Eren had lost control of himself. Before she could brace herself for the attack, Eren leapt forward and bowled Mikasa over, knocking the wind out of her and forcing her to the ground. Positioned on top of her, he pinned both her hands to the ground and growled viciously at her, all sentience gone from his once proud eyes.

"Eren, it's me! It's-" He didn't let her finish her sentence. Swift and cruel, Eren clamped his razor sharp teeth down on her shoulder.

* * *

"What the fuck is the armored Titan doing here?" Jean exclaimed. It seemed like everything was going to hell as the odds kept stacking ever higher against them. _Just my luck. What next? Titans with wings? _

"Is that... Is there someone standing on the armored Titan?" Connie said, directing everyone's attention to the figure perched atop the armored Titan's shoulder. They couldn't make out who it was from this distance, but whoever it was seemed to be carrying something large on his or her back. "What in the-"

A sudden scream echoed through the forest, interrupting Connie's words. Armin instantly recognized it. "That's Eren! That's Eren's Titan voice!" he said. He wasn't the only one to notice it though. The deviant abruptly left its spot below the tree branch, choosing to run towards the source of the sound instead. It moved with purpose, kicking aside the smaller Titans beneath its feet as it quickly moved towards its new target. Realizing where it was headed, the armored Titan pointed at the 25 meter behemoth and cried out to Annie.

Heeding his order, she moved into its path and entered a fighting stance. The deviant didn't seem to care about her or even notice her as it barreled onward. Twice Annie's size, it would have been forgiven for thinking that it could easily kick her aside, but she was no ordinary fighter. Nimble as a cat, she sidestepped just as the deviant was about to ram into her and kicked out behind its knee joint, causing it to stumble and crash into the dirt as its leg buckled beneath itself. If she were facing a more conventionally-sized opponent, she would have seized the chance to mount its back and grapple it into submission or rain a flurry of punches on it, but she wasn't nearly large enough to do that to this monster. She lifted her arms up in a high guard and approached it cautiously, but to her surprise, the deviant kicked out at her legs from its position on the ground, causing her to slam face-first into the dirt. Before she could get up, it was already on its feet. It grabbed one of her arms and pinned her body down with its foot. With a terrible ripping sound, it easily tore the arm off Annie's thrashing body. Tossing the limb aside, it then punched a hole straight through her belly with great fury, causing Annie to cry out in defiance.

The deviant would have continued mutilating Annie's battered body had the armored Titan not tackled the far larger monster, knocking it to the ground once again. Straddling the deviant's large girth, it rained blow after blow on it, not intending to let it get in the way of their objective. The person that stood on its shoulder earlier was nowhere to be seen.

"Armin, they're after Eren right?" Jean asked. "Looks like the armored one is going to win. The female one- Annie is injured for now. We need to go find him before they do!"

"Oh, really? I figured that you'd rather stay here, all safe and cozy." Ymir commented.

"Like it or not, if we can retrieve Eren, we have to. Fucked up as he is, he's humanity's last hope."

"But Jean, I'm out of gas!" Armin said.

"Damn. Ymir, you stay with him since it's so safe and cozy here,'' he said, his words dripping with sarcasm. ''Connie, let's go." Jean jumped from the branch and made his way in Eren's direction as quickly as he could, Connie following not far behind.

As they swung by the scene of the battle between the Titans, they were shocked to see that the deviant class was not beaten. The armored Titan still sat upon its prone form, but the monster had caught its assailant's hands by the wrists and was now trying to rip them off with sheer brute force. They could hear the armored Titan's rock-hard skin cracking under the immense pressure of the deviant's grip. Annie tried to pry its fingers apart with her one remaining hand, but to no avail. The armored Titan shook its head and looked to the direction that Eren's scream had come from. Understanding the meaning behind its gesture, Annie nodded and ran off in that direction.

"It's going after Eren!" Conny gasped.

"Thank you, captain obvious!" Jean replied. Annie easily stormed past them, eliciting a frustrated shout from him. At the rate they were going, there was no way they could get there before her.

* * *

Mikasa did her best to ignore the blinding pain in her shoulder as Eren continued to chew on it. She had to bring him back to his senses before it was too late. She had lost too much blood already. "Stop-" she pleaded weakly, her words barely more than a strained whisper. "Eren, stop it! Fight it! You have to fight it!"

He didn't respond to her words at all. Was he really no longer human? Was he so far gone that he couldn't even recognize her any more? The thought of it was more painful than the grievous wound that he'd inflicted on her. Light seemed to drain from the world as her consciousness started to fade. She couldn't make out the leaves on the trees any more, and the trunks only looked like dark stripes in the background. Contrary to the burning agony her body was going through, the expression on her face was one of perfect calmness.

"Don't worry Eren," she said between labored breaths. "It's not your fault. Don't blame yourself, okay? Eren, I-"

Coughing violently, she reached her free hand over and gently held his head. All feeling was beginning to leave her trembling extremities as she started to feel a biting cold gnaw away at her awareness. But she couldn't die. Not yet. Summoning the last bit of strength she had left, she lifted her head and moved her cracked lips to his ear.

"I love you," she whispered. Her eyes slowly started to close. She was spent.

Eren stopped his biting when he heard those words. He lifted his head up from her body and stared at her. His face was wet with Mikasa's blood and wisps of steam escaped from his open mouth as he gazed curiously at the girl. In his feral state he did not have the slightest clue what any of those words meant. The concept of words was beyond him. And yet, he felt like someone had stabbed him in the heart and twisted the knife for good measure. He felt a very base sense of despair. Of loss.

"Mi-" He instinctively tried to say her name, but it caught in his throat, as if he was not worthy to utter it.

"Mika-"

"Mikasa!" he screamed at last. A burst of steam erupted from all over his body, enveloping the two in a gigantic cloud of hot vapor. Eren's Titan skin dissipated, revealing his human form underneath. It took a while for his senses to return to him. A throbbing headache assailed him as he struggled to regain his bearings.

"What happened?" he muttered, completely oblivious to the tragedy that had transpired. He couldn't see anything, but his sight slowly returned to him. First, as a blurred flurry of colors, then solid objects with definite shapes. When he finally registered the sight of Mikasa's bloody body beneath him, he nearly choked on his own vomit. Moments ago, the only sounds he could make were primitive grunting noises. Now, the only sound he could make was the weeping of a broken man. Looking upon her calm visage, he couldn't help but feel even more terrible as the realization of what he had done sunk in. Desperately, he moved to check her heartbeat, all the while praying that she wasn't dead. But before he could do so, he was picked off the ground by Annie.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! As always, please review! :) It will make me so happy! Haha. At the moment, I'm on a roll with regards to writing, so expect Chapter 6 to be released relatively soon! :D **

**Oh, and I broke 100 followers for this story in the past week. So, thank you very very much for the continued support! :D I truly appreciate it!**


	6. Unknown Variables

**A/N: Well, nothing much to say this time. :P Just that this story has 86 reviews now, 5 chapters in, so let's make that 100 reviews with this chapter! :D Haha. That's my wish, anyway. It would make me very happy indeed to reach that milestone, hehe!**

**Credit to : Salaeren, for just being an excellent beta and friend!**

**Recommended fics : I'd like to take this opportunity to endorse some really good SnK fics that I really love! First off, please check out 'Stolen Moments' by High Queen! It is definitely one of the best Mikaere fics out there! Seriously, she is a writer with real talent. I'm sure you won't be disappointed, especially if you like my stories, cos our writing styles and way of thinking are quite similar.**

**Also, Salaeren, my awesome beta, the man who deserves all the credit for helping make 'Tears of a Titan' what it is today, has finally released the first chapter of his epic Eren/Annie fic : 'Titanfall'! I realize that Ereani is one of the least popular ships in this fandom, but I really think that his fic is worth checking out, if only for quality writing! He's definitely one of the few writers with true talent around these parts, and his story definitely deserves more recognition! If you like 'Tears of a Titan', go check it out eh? For me? ;) The story is called 'Shingeki no Kyojin : Titanfall'.**

* * *

**Chapter 6 - Unknown Variables**

Lance Corporal Rivaille awoke with a start. A thin finger of light crept between the window curtains, poking him painfully in his weary eyes. He'd slept for a full day and a half, but his slumber had been far from restful. Raising a hand to shield himself from the glaring sunshine, he found himself wondering why his subordinates hadn't bothered to wake him up so late into the day.

"Petra?" he called out automatically as he sat up in bed, too used to having the enthusiastic girl standing at the foot of his bed each morning with a report on Eren's status in hand. That had been their routine for the past month, despite his insistence that she could wait till during or after breakfast to do so. He wasn't going to miss babysitting Eren, or even Petra's little morning ritual though. Death was commonplace in the Scouting Legion, so it never paid to get attached to anyone. Rivaille wouldn't really miss Petra, Gunter, Erd or Auruo. Not in the normal sense of the word, anyway. He would spare them a passing thought, and he would live on. That was his way.

Looking around the room, he realized that he was in a ward with a number of other wounded men and women. The smell of sanitizer and chemicals permeated the air, as it does in every infirmary, clinic, and hospital anywhere within the walls. Rivaille always felt conflicted in places like this. The cleanliness appealed to him, yet the death and disease that was always present in such places served as an ironic contrast that ultimately made him dislike it. The sound of the door opening and booted footsteps on the wooden floor drew his attention.

"Squad leader Zoe," he said curtly as his brown-haired colleague walked up to the bedside.

"Rivaille! You feeling any better? You've been sleeping like a pig since we got back!"

He shot Hanji one of his trademark looks. Rivaille hated being unable to fight or wield a blade like this. The feeling was unnervingly foreign to him. He'd damaged his muscles fighting the female Titan in the failed operation, and their swift and chaotic evacuation in the wake of the ambush by the Titans only served to aggravate his injury.

"Here, I brought you something to eat," Hanji said with a warm grin on her face. She placed a basket of fruits on the bed and plucked an apple from its depths. "Want one? There are oranges too!" She picked an orange out of the basket and offered it to him. "Want me to peel it for you?"

"Did you wash your hands before touching any of those?" Rivaille had a look of disgust on his face.

"Of course I did, I'm a woman of science, remember?" she said nervously as she tried to wipe her hands against the back of her jacket in as subtle a fashion as as she could. She attempted to give him the fruit, but he crossed his arms and glared fiercely at her, flatly refusing to consume any part of it.

"What news of Eren?" Rivaille asked, tiring of the idle chatter.

Hanji's cheerful demeanor dampened slightly when she heard the question, a sigh escaping from her lips as she started to frown.

"One member of the rescue party that left in the morning returned here an hour ago. He was in a hysterical state, so he wouldn't answer any of our questions. Not that we really need him to. It's obvious that they were attacked by Titans."

Rivaille kept silent, a pensive look on his face as he contemplated the recent developments. It was his belief that nothing was down to coincidence. There was something sinister at work here, pulling the strings from the shadows, hidden from their knowledge.

"The Titans ambushed us," he said, uttering each word slowly to import the gravity of the message he was trying to convey. "They surrounded the camp under cover of darkness and ambushed us."

Hanji nodded and took a seat on the bed. "This is far beyond anything we've ever known about the Titans. The fact that these were only regular Titans and not shifters makes it all the more bizarre."

"How can we be sure they weren't shifters?" Rivaille asked.

"Their uncharacteristically sound tactical positioning around our encampment aside, they did not fight with any semblance of intelligence or purpose, like the shifters that we know of - namely Eren and the female - do. They simply rushed and grabbed at random people to devour them," Hanji explained, her spectacles reflecting the sunlight coming through the window. She got up and pulled the curtains more tightly together so that there was no gap for the light to seep through.

"We can't discount the fact that they were all of the ideal size to sneak up on the camp unnoticed," Rivaille added. "All of this simply points to-"

"The notion that there is someone or something organizing or controlling the Titans," Hanji interjected, finishing his sentence for him, much to his displeasure. Rivaille found it to be rather rude, but he'd gotten used to his eccentric colleague's overly-enthusiastic nature over the years, so he let it slide.

"The implications of such a thing is beyond comprehension!" she continued, her voice getting louder as she got more and more engrossed in the topic. Some of the neighboring patients glanced at them to see what all the commotion was about. "To think, what we thought were simply mindless beings can actually be controlled! Organized, even! Does this point to some form of intelligence lingering within their minds? Or could they be under the influence of a swarm intelligence? A hive mind? Who or what could even tap into this intelligence and control them? How?"

"I'd curb your enthusiasm a little, Zoe," Rivaille said. " You do realize that if this is true, we're all pretty much dead right? We're already hard pressed to even survive against mindless Titans. If they can fight with anything approaching basic strategy we can kiss our chances goodbye."

"Yes, I know that, but can't you see? In the span of one day and one night we've uncovered more information about the Titans than we have in the past hundred years combined! Look at it from a different perspective. The more knowledge we have, the better! Knowing that the Titans are being controlled by someone, we-"

"Wait." Rivaille shushed Hanji's incessant rambling with a finger to her lips. "Why did they attack us in the first place? Assuming nothing is random, what was their purpose?"

Hanji looked at him with a puzzled expression on her face. "Eren?"

"We're assuming that someone set those Titans loose on us. They may have been relatively organized, but they simply created wanton destruction without any real purpose. It's like kicking a bull in the direction you want it to go and watching as it runs through everything in its way."

"So, it was nothing more than an ambush?" Hanji gasped sharply when she realized where their train of thought was heading. "If they wanted to kidnap Eren, they didn't have to resort to such crude, chaotic methods. There are many other ways they could have taken him, or isolated him from the rest of us. This was nothing more than a direct assault. Which means..." Her words trailed off as she looked straight into Lance Corporal Rivaille's eyes. Seeing the glint in his dull, black orbs, she knew that he had come to the same conclusion she had.

Rivaille nodded his agreement. "It's possible that the attack was meant to eliminate the ranking officers of the Recon Corps while we were still in Titan territory. But I doubt that, seeing as there was no way to guarantee that we would die to such unreliable assassins. I think that whoever was behind it was testing the waters. Either testing our military strength, their ability to control the Titans, or both."

Removing his blankets, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and got to his feet. He waved over one of the nurses in the room. She stopped what she was doing and walked over to see what he wanted. "Lance Corporal, sir! You shouldn't be out of bed! Your muscles aren't fully healed."

"I'll just have to live with it. Where did you put my uniform? I have urgent business to attend to."

"With all due respect sir, I really don't think-"

Rivaille glared fiercely at the poor girl, showing her that he would not entertain any further arguments. "I'll go get it for you,"she said, hurriedly spinning around and walking out of the room with unnatural speed, much to Hanji's thinly concealed amusement. He tended to have that effect on people who didn't know him.

He glanced over at her. "Where's the Commander? I have to see him."

"He's at the district Recon Corps station. But he should be leaving for the the capital within the hour. He has to explain the failure of the mission to the higher ups," she replied.

"There are too many variables that we don't know. I don't know about you, but I'm tired of being in the dark," Rivaille said. "I think Irvin owes me some answers."

* * *

By the time the two of them arrived at the station, Commander Irvin Smith and the soldiers that were to accompany him to the capital were already outside the building, finalizing their preparations for the journey. One of the stable boys had just handed the reins for his horse over to Irvin when Rivaille approached him.

"Irvin. We need to talk," he said, raising his voice so that he could be heard over the the sound of horses and busy soldiers going about their work in the cramped station courtyard.

"Rivaille! The doctor said you have to rest for a week for your muscles to fully recover," Irvin replied, turning to look down at his subordinate. He was a behemoth of a man, powerfully built and very tall. His hair was neatly combed as always, matching his serious personality. "What is it that's so urgent?"

Not intending to beat around the bush, Rivaille made his question very clear. "Before Wall Maria was breached five years ago, you led the Recon Corps' elite outside the walls on a mission that was never officially approved. No paper work, no orders. No direct orders, at least." He eyed Irvin with his uncompromising gaze, but the commander was not one to be easily intimidated. He knew very well what Rivaille was talking about. Back then, Irvin didn't take him along on the mission even though there was no doubt in anyone's mind that he was the elite among the elite. He was never even told about the mission, but Rivaille had a habit of being well-informed about everything, thanks to his past occupation of less than favorable repute.

"You know I can't tell you that," Irvin said, his tone of voice cold and solemn.

"I've been sitting on it for far too long, Irvin. I can't ignore it any longer. Everything that's happened up till now is connected."

The commander sighed and put a hand on his old friend's shoulder. "The state of affairs in within our walls are more hopeless than you can imagine, Rivaille. It's a game of chess that everyone is playing and no one wants to lose."

"While the fat cats play at politics, the Titans are doing the same. Who knows, maybe there's a Titan king somewhere out there with his own set of walls." Rivaille observed Irvin's facial expressions carefully, seeking some hint of emotion, but he remained stoic as ever.

"I hate politics, but I have to play the game if I am going to have any say in the outcome of this war. I know that you will understand. I cannot tell you anything regarding what you asked."

"War? Is it really a war between us and the Titans? Or something else?" Rivaille continued, hoping to squeeze some information out of him.

Irvin sighed wearily as he mounted his horse. "I'm sure you've already come to the same conclusion that I have regarding the ambush. You must recover from your injuries as soon as possible. It is likely that the Recon Corps will be called to reinforce the Stationary guard when the Titans make their attack on Wall Rose and its territories. We aren't sure how they'll do it, but something is coming. We have to be ready."

"And that's exactly what I'm trying to do. You can't be ready if you don't know your enemy."

"Old habits die hard, I see. But you're a soldier now. Those days are long gone. You're my right hand, Rivaille. All I ask is that you trust me." Without another word, Irvin rode off towards the Karanese district inner gates with his company in tow.

Left behind in the cloud of dust kicked up by the departing horses, Rivaille stomped the ground in frustration.

"So, did you get the answers that you were looking for?" Hanji asked when he returned to her. She had been waiting for him inside the building.

"No. It has to be something very big if even Irvin can't speak freely about it," he replied bluntly. After a short pause, he said "But I'm not satisfied yet. Hanji, I need your help."

"Um, what do you need?" she asked, somewhat surprised by his words.

"I'll need some pistols and ammunition, and two soldiers that can hold their own in close-quarters combat. That means swordfighting and gunsmanship. And make sure that they're soldiers that you trust. Is there anyone like that under your command?"

Hanji cupped her chin in her hand as she tried to think of people who fit that description in her squad. "I can only think of two soldiers under my command with experience in close quarters combat. Anya is noble-born, youngest of five siblings. A real fire-brand, that one. She trained with the finest dueling instructors in the walls as a teenager."

"And the other one?"

"My sergeant, Jelani. I'm sure you've heard of him," Hanji said, a hint of pride in her voice.

"Indeed I have. More importantly, do you trust them?"

"I trust them with my life."

"Good, I have need of their services," Rivaille said. He put a hand on Hanji's shoulder as a sort of unspoken thank you, then moved to leave the station. "As quickly as possible, Zoe."

"What are you planning to do?" she asked.

Rivaille glanced back at Hanji.

"I'm going to meet an old friend."

* * *

**Thanks a lot for reading! Please drop a review. :D Let's make it 100! Hehe. **

**Oh yeah. Huehuehuehuehuehuehue. *Grinning evilly as I toy with your frail hearts by not resolving the cliffhanger immediately***


	7. Murderers

**A/N: So, we have finally reached this point. 101 reviews, 149 followers and 107 favorites for this story as of now! Thank you so much for all your support, guys! :) I really appreciate it! I hope you'll all continue to follow this story until it's eventual conclusion! :) Hehe.**

**I'd also like to say that due to the fact that I've decided to turn this story into a full blown epic, keeping in line with the dark and serious tone of the manga, there will be less fluff and romance than may be desired, despite this being a Mikaere fic! So, I'm sorry if that's a bad thing to you. D: There are so many wonderful characters to develop, so many themes and subplots to explore, so it's inevitable that it has to be this way. What I can do is promise that when the Mikaere payoff finally comes, it will be amazing. :D So, I hope that's enough to keep y'all hooked. :X**

**Credit to : Salaeren, my awesome beta! Go check out his story, Shingeki no Kyojin : Titanfall! Highly recommended. :) It's an Eren/Annie fic!**

**Special thanks to : Shrapnel893 for being awesome enough to actually take time out of his day to message me with some corrections for this chapter! Thanks a lot, man!**

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**-Titanic Gateway by Shrapnel893. It's an OC story set in the SnK world. I know, I know, most people don't dig OC stories, but he's one of the better writers around these parts, so it's worth checking out if you're tired of terrible grammar, punctuation, spelling, and whatnot.**

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* * *

**Chapter 7 - Murderers**

The skin of the female Titan's palm was warm to the touch. Trapped within its balled up fist, Eren felt like he was in a cocoon, cut off from the rest of the world. They'd been moving for what seemed like hours already. He didn't know why he was there, or what it was that had snatched him from beside Mikasa's body, so suddenly was he taken. At that moment, he didn't really care. The gigantic hand that held him in its grasp rocked back and forth as the Titan ran onward_s,_ freeing itself from the confines of the trees and moving onto the vastness of the plains.

To describe the thoughts raging inside Eren's mind as chaotic would be an understatement. Bit by bit, his world was falling apart. In fact, the world that he thought he knew started unraveling ever since the Colossal Titan breached Wall Maria. It used to be that Titans were the enemy. But now he was one of them. It used to be that joining the Recon Corps meant exploring the world beyond the walls. Instead, all that he had done since joining the Corps was merely survive while he watched his friends and comrades die all around him.

Perhaps the most certain truth that he used to know was that Mikasa would always be there. That nothing was strong enough to kill her. She was Mikasa, after all. As powerful on her own as a hundred soldiers, she was one of humanity's greatest military assets. Even when they were kids, Mikasa always seemed to be invincible. He hated the fact that she was so much stronger than him, but he realized now that, without knowing it, it had become something of a balance in his life. Mikasa being there to nag him and watch out for him was a given. Faced with the thought that it was all gone forever now, Eren felt utterly empty. Was she really no more? Did she really meet her end at the hands of the one she had fought so hard to protect? He could feel the bile rising to his throat just thinking about it.

_No, I can't be sure that she's dead, right? Mikasa's tough, a flesh wound like that won't kill her!_

But as far as he knew, she was all alone in the forest, right in the middle of Titan territory. Even if she did survive the mauling that he'd given her, she wouldn't last more than a few hours in those woods. Eren's frustration mounted as he desperately sought some shred of hope, but he couldn't find any. All he could do was scream to let out all the negative emotions trapped within him. He screamed until his voice nearly gave out, then he bit on the Titan's finger so hard that blood started to flow out of his mouth and mix with the tears streaming down his face.

_I killed her! I'm no better than these fucking Titans. Eren, you useless piece of shit! I hate this power. Why, I- Oh, Mikasa. Mikasa, please don't die.  
_

Eren couldn't handle all the thoughts and feelings that were assaulting him mercilessly, threatening to make him lose his mind. "Stop!" he cried, as if that would help ease the pain. To his surprise, the Titan heeded his command, without meaning to. Too exhausted from repeated use of her Titan form and the damage she'd sustained fighting the deviant, she could not run any further. With a deafening slam she crashed into the ground. Her palm opened up as she fell, throwing Eren out of her grasp. He hit the ground with a heavy thud and rolled to a stop a short distance away. Dazed, but not badly hurt, he staggered to his feet and looked towards the decaying Titan body. His breath caught in his throat when he realized that it was the female Titan._  
_

"Who are you?" he yelled, wiping his tear-stained face with the back of his hand as he stumbled through the clouds of steam surrounding it.

"You-" Eren slammed his fist into the Titan's side in a somewhat forced show of rage. He made it a point to flood his own head with images of the Special Operations Squad's demise, squeezing out every ounce of hatred he could. He was trying to block out his sadness with the emotion that he knew best. He didn't know how else he could deal with the emptiness that was rotting him from the inside. "Come out, you bastard. I'm going to rip you a new one!"

He climbed onto the corpse's back and quickly made his way towards the nape of its neck. A jet of steam shot out at him as the Titan's skin tore open, scalding him, but he didn't care at all about the pain. He simply plunged his arms through the opening and wrapped them around the person within it. With a firm heave, he attempted to pull the shifter free of the tangle of nerves and muscle fiber. Most of the tissue gave way easily, but one particularly stubborn bundle of nerves proved to be more resilient. With a final mighty tug, the nerve snapped, but Eren lost his balance in the process, sending the two of them rolling off the side of the Titan corpse and into the ground.

Winded by the fall, Eren took a few moments to catch his breath before getting back to his feet. The shifter lay face down on the ground a few feet away from him. "I've got you now!" he yelled, though he did not move any closer. His outward display of gusto belied the fact that he was afraid to see who it really was. He couldn't pinpoint the exact source of his fear, but the feeling had been following him ever since he first saw the female Titan. Something about it was horribly familiar to him, though his heart desperately wanted to deny it.

"You killed them all, you bitch!" he bellowed, his voice booming but his words half-hearted. "You monster!"

The Titan shifter moved a little bit, and a moan escaped her lips.

"You monster." This time, Eren's words were no more than a whisper, and no one but himself could have known if they were directed at the shifter or at himself. In his mind, images of his battle with the female Titan played over and over again, compounding his suspicions as to her true identity. The look in her eyes, the stance she adopted to receive his attacks, the way she weaved between his wild punches like a dancer on a stage. Eren only knew of one person who fought like that. He'd sparred with her many times over the years and he'd gotten used to everything about her.

Hesitantly, he stumbled over to the Titan shifter and dropped to his knees beside her. He placed his shaking hands on her body and rolled her over.

"Why?" Eren asked as he reached for her with outstretched arms.

"Why?" he muttered, his hands inches away from her body.

"Why? Why did you do it? _Annie_!" he screamed as his fingers wrapped around her throat in a cruel grip. Slowly, he started to squeeze her slender neck, tears welling up in his eyes as he willed himself to take revenge for his comrades. "I thought we were _friends_, Annie! I thought we were _comrades_!" His hold on her neck grew stronger, forcing the air out of her windpipe and shocking her into full awareness. She clawed desperately at Eren's choke-hold with her hands as her bright, blue eyes stared into Eren's green ones in horror. All color drained from her face as she fought desperately for air; her entire body thrashing violently in an unsightly death throe.

_You're not a monster_, he heard in his head, just as he was about to apply a final squeeze to end Annie's life.

Eren was unable to forget Mikasa's absolute faith in him. When everyone else had called him a monster and shunned him, she believed in him. She continued to be by his side. Eren yelled in frustration and released Annie from his grip. He drove his fist into the ground beside Annie's head repeatedly as she coughed and sputtered beneath him, sucking in as much oxygen as she could. "I'm no different from you bastards. I killed her. And the worst part is-" He raised his arms in front of himself and looked at them with disgust. "-I can't even say that I'll stop trying to kill every last one of you fuckers any more. Even though that was what she wanted the most."

Her breaths labored and heavy, Annie looked up at Eren but did not say a word. Beneath his quivering body, she didn't make a move to escape. She only lay there, her chest heaving as a painful wheeze escaped her lips, her lungs desperately taking in life-giving air.

"All she ever did was try to protect me. I hated it. Sometimes, I wondered if I hated her," he said, all the strength gone from his voice. "I don't hate her, Annie. I've never hated her. I just-"

"Do you hate me?" Annie asked suddenly, catching him by surprise. Unable to think of any words to say, he got up and stepped away from her. She sat up and massaged her neck, still extremely sore from the throttling that Eren had given her. For a few moments, they maintained the silence, unsure of what would happen next.

"I'm taking you, Eren," she said, looking straight into his eyes, "that is my mission."

"What mission? Who the fuck are you? Why can you turn into a Titan?" Eren pointed at the decaying Titan corpse beside them.

"I am a warrior," Annie said as she struggled to get to her feet. She felt extremely weak, her body unable to take the strain she'd put it under in order to capture Eren. Her face was pale and blood flowed freely from her nostrils.

"What the Hell is that supposed to mean? We're all soldiers!"

"No, I am a warrior," she said again. Coughing violently, she staggered towards him with an outstretched arm. "Eren-" Before she could reach him, she lost consciousness and fell forward. She would have fallen face first into the ground if Eren hadn't caught her just in time. He dragged her to her feet and wrapped one of her arms around his shoulders, helping her to stand up.

Eren didn't know what to do next. He'd been too caught up in everything that had been happening up till now to really register his surroundings. Taking a look around, he realized that they were quite far out in the plains already, the forest of giant trees only a speck on the horizon. They were beside a river that stretched as far as his eyes could see, and some distance upstream he saw a building with a water wheel rotating slowly beside it. Making sure that his hold on Annie was secure, Eren carried her towards the shelter, all the while hoping that no Titans were nearby to complicate matters further. He didn't know what he was going to do with her, or what he was even going to do in general. Everything seemed so meaningless now. He decided that he would just go with the flow and face only what was in front of him. After all, he had a lifetime to regret his sins.

As luck would have it, the journey to the building was uneventful. It was a big house, its red paint dulled by years of neglect and rough weather. Various worn out items and farming tools littered the yard in a haphazard fashion, as if whoever was using them last had simply dropped them there and left without a second thought. Opposite the house was a barn, twice as large as it was and in arguably worse condition. Its doors lay shattered on the ground, ripped from their hinges by what was most probably a Titan. The smell of damp, rotting hay wafted out from within.

Eren approached the house cautiously, Annie in tow. With his free hand, he reached for the doorknob and gave it a gentle twist. There was a soft squeal of scraping metal followed by a click, and then he gave the door a light push. The rusty hinges holding the old wood upright screeched in protest as it swung open, letting out the smell of dusty, stagnant air and moist decay. With a deep breath, he carried Annie up the steps and into the building before setting her down against the wall beside the doorway.

As expected, the inside of the house was in disarray as well, with overturned furniture and random personal effects cluttering the dank space. Eren found a worn piece of paper on a table, yellowed by age and covered in dust. It lay next to an old quill and an overturned inkwell on top of a black pool of dried ink. Picking it up, he smoothed out the wrinkles and read its contents.

* * *

_Dearest Jürgen,  
_

_I hope this letter finds you in good health and good spirits. We are doing fine enough here on the farm. The weather has been drier than we'd like, but Mr. Kaufman from town said that there will be rain soon, so we shouldn't worry too much about the crops. Don't worry about your old horse, Matilda. She's growing up to be fine animal. Soon, she'll be strong enough to pull a plough, then we can finally retire poor old Ernest. He's getting old, that horse. His bones aren't what they used to be any more. Well, don't worry about him, okay, dear? We'll let him live his final years in peace.  
_

_Besides that, there's nothing much going on, really. Everyone is just happy to be together. Well, if you were here we would be even happier. How are things in Shigansina? I hope that your business is doing well. I heard that they are going to raise the taxes again. I really hope not, it's hard enough as it is. _

_I'm glad that Jan decided to take over the running of the farm from your father, though. Remember when he was younger and he said that he wanted to join the Recon Corps? Oh, you won't believe how terrified I was. Everyone knows that joining the Recon Corps is dangerous. They always go on their little expeditions outside the wall, pretending to be heroes like in the stories, going on adventures and all, but they always come back with only corpses and wounded men, and nothing to show for it! Thank goodness that Jan came to his senses. Your father's getting older, and he can't work the fields the way he used to any more. His back is always acting up and he has aches all over his body. We've had the doctor visit a few times, but he always says that the only thing he can do is rest. Jan's grown into a strong boy though, so he can do all the farm work with no problem at all. He reminds me of your father when he was younger, so handsome and strong. Sometimes I feel like he's not as happy as he used to be, but at least he'll be safe.  
_

_Catherine is turning seven in three weeks. Can you believe that? She's growing so fast, sometimes I don't even recognize her any more! She's going to be a beautiful girl. She keeps asking when her big brother will be back, and I told her that you will be back soon enough. It would be wonderful if you could come back to celebrate her birthday. You know how attached she is to you. I hope that you can find the time to come visit. But it's okay if you can't. You're a grown man now and you've got your own life to live. Just don't forget about us, okay? We all miss you very much.  
_

_Oh, I almost forget to tell you. Remember Gertrude, who you used to be sweet on? She..._

* * *

The letter was never finished. Eren surmised that the writer had left in a hurry, probably due to rampaging Titans encroaching on their land. Putting the letter back down, he found himself hoping that the family that owned this farm had survived the Titan onslaught.

"What's that?" Annie asked, breaking the silence.

"A letter. Written by a mother to her son," he said, picking the piece of paper up again and shoving it angrily at her. "A family whose lives you and your friends destroyed!"

"How do you know I'm with them?"

"Are you not?" Eren asked, squatting down so that his face was level with hers.

"I am," she replied bluntly.

"My mother died that day. That colossal piece of shit kicked the wall and a piece of it landed on my house. My mom. She was caught in the rubble and she couldn't run."

Annie sighed and avoided his gaze. Eren couldn't tell if she didn't care or if she at least had the good grace to feel ashamed.

"Look at me!" he yelled, grabbing her head and turning it to face him. "Look at me when I tell you that my mom got eaten by a Titan because of what your friends did! Look at me when I tell you that you killed her!"

She still didn't say a word, but she did not look away from him now.

"And this." He put the crumpled letter in her hand. "You killed this family too! And so many others! Don't you even feel any remorse?"

"I am a warrior," Annie said.

"What warrior? Who the fuck are you? What about all those years together in training? Was that all just a lie?"

"What do you want me to say? That I'm sorry? That I deserve to die for everything I've done? Will that help you sleep better at night? Because it's not going to change a damn thing. What's done is done."

"You're a murderer," Eren said, his tone of voice cold like icy venom. "I should kill you right now."

"Just like you killed Mikasa?" she shot back.

Those words hit him too hard, silencing him immediately. He looked away from her, desperately seeking some form of retort in his mind, but none was forthcoming. An awkward silence ensued, punctuated only by the sound of the old wooden floor bending under Eren's feet as he shifted his weight uneasily.

"I don't know what happened," he said finally, on the verge of tears again. "I saw you run out of the forest, and then my skin started peeling off. I turned into a Titan, but it was as if I-" Eren choked on his words, as if saying them would make them come true. "As if I'm a Titan on the inside."

"I lost control. I can't remember what happened, but when I came back to my senses, she-"

"I'm sorry," Annie said weakly, surprising Eren and causing him to go quiet again.

"What?" was the only reply he could come up with.

"I'm sorry for bringing that up," she continued.

"What happened to me?" Eren asked after a short lull in the conversation.

"You're too filled with anger. Hate. Your Titan abilities take the form of those emotions because you're too raw. You don't know how to control them. I was once told that a new Titan shifter is just like a rabid dog. Chaotic, aggressive and uncontrollable. More likely to kill friends and comrades than to do anything useful."

Eren stood up abruptly and stormed out of the house so that he could be alone to collect his thoughts. For a few moments, there was only deathly quiet.

"What now?" he said suddenly, standing at the doorway. Annie couldn't see him from her seated position against the wall next to the door, but she knew what the look on his face must have been. The kind of look that only '_the guy who's in a hurry to die_' would make.

"You can run away and leave me here," she said nonchalantly, "or we can wait for my comrades, and you can find out where that path leads."

She heard him seat himself on the steps leading out of the house. He said nothing else. His decision was made, and he wished to talk no more. Not with an enemy.

Annie sighed and wiped the dry blood on her face away with her hands. She took the letter Eren had given her and read its contents multiple times over before looking up and drinking in every detail of the thrashed room. In her head, she imagined the laughter of children and the image of a happy family, sitting in that very space, breaking bread together at the table. Catherine, so young and pretty, sure to leave a trail of broken hearts wherever she goes once she's all grown up. Jan, so strong and ambitious, but restrains himself from following his dreams because of his duty to his family. An unnamed mother, loving and kind, serving piping hot food that she'd just cooked, secretly worrying about taxes and the coming harvest, but never showing it on her face because she doesn't want her family to be concerned about her. And the father. For some reason, she couldn't imagine what the father would look like. She only saw her own father, sitting at the table with this family that wasn't his, staring at her with eyes as blue as her own. "_Treat the world as if it were your enemy_," he said to her - and then the image was gone; replaced by the reality of a deserted home that reeked of mold, dust, and decay. A lonely house, devoid of life.

Annie looked down at her palms, taking note of the rusty red smeared across her fingers.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, never taking her eyes off the blood on her hands.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Please drop me a review. ;) I love reviews!**


	8. Family

**Credit to : Salaeren for his expert input, as always!**

**Recommendations : Shingeki no Kyojin - Dissonance by PrimaMalum! It's a very well written ErenxAnnie fic, worth checking out even if you don't ship those two, because he writes very well!**

* * *

**Chapter 8 - Family**

Mikasa lay on the ground, breathless and weeping. Her skin felt sticky with blood, smeared across her chest by the one that she swore to protect. The one that she loved.

_I don't want it to end this way_, she thought, bitterness and regret dripping from each and every word. _Why? Why did it have to turn out like this?_ _Why did it have to be at your hands?_

The sound of a door creaking open broke her train of thought. "Mother, I'm back!" she heard a voice say. Mikasa pushed herself up to her elbows to see who it was. It was only then that she noticed that what she lay on was no longer the soft, moist earth of the forest floor, but the dense, rough surface of a man-made footpath. To her left, she saw a garden filled with an assortment of vegetables; glistening tomatoes growing on the vine, big and red under the midday sun, and potato plants lined up in rows, their flowers deceptively beautiful. When she looked ahead, she saw a cabin, its wood weathered but sturdy.

"Mikasa! Where's your father?" she heard someone say from inside the house, though she suspected that the words were not meant for her. Or at least, not for her current person.

"We met the doctor on the way back, so he sent me home first because they wanted too talk!"

"Oh, Jaeger-sensei? He must be off to see some patients. Such a nice man."

Mikasa expected to feel excruciating pain when she tried to get to her feet, but she was surprised to feel absolutely nothing. She walked up the pathway towards the door, every step filled with equal measures of curiosity and trepidation as she gradually neared the building. She knew this path, because she'd trodden down it many times before when she was younger. She knew the old oak door that sat ajar in front of her, so many times had she opened and closed it in her youth, and peeking inside, she knew the people who were sitting together in the house she once called home.

"Here, help me peel the potatoes," Mikasa's mother said, pushing a bowl of brown spuds across the table. Obediently, the younger Mikasa plucked one from the bowl and started removing its skin with a small knife. The mother and daughter sat together in silence as they went about their chores, but never did it feel awkward in the slightest. Thin smiles were ever present on their faces, the feeling of being in each others' presence more than enough to make them feel comfortable and happy.

The sound of boots crunching against the dirt made Mikasa turn back to see her father trudging up to the house. She quickly stepped aside as he reached a hand towards the door, seemingly oblivious to her presence. It was then that she realized that she was nothing more than a mere observer, watching this warm memory of days long past like a spectator at a play. It was a surreal feeling, and yet she couldn't help but feel silent pleasure at the sight of her old family, living together so peacefully as if nothing had ever happened. "Miyuki, I'm home!" her father said happily when he entered the house. "Look what I caught in the river today?" He lifted up his catch for the day, proudly displaying the two large trouts for his wife's inspection.

"Wow, those are pretty big. Those could swallow Mikasa whole!" she exclaimed while making exaggerated hand gestures, much to her daughter's delight.

"I helped catch one of those! It got caught on my fishing hook!" the child said with a beaming smile on her face.

"I guess our little girl deserves a reward, huh?" Miyuki said, patting her gently on the head. "But let's get this done first!" She pointed to the potatoes, and the younger Mikasa nodded cheerfully before continuing her work.

"I'll go and prepare the fish," her father said, giving his wife a tender kiss before heading out to the back of the house to gut and scale the fish.

"Aishiteru, Oliver."

"Aishiteru, Miyuki."

When Oliver left the room, the little girl asked "That means 'I love you', right mom?"

"Yes, it does. It's good to know that you still remember what I taught you. We shouldn't forget our roots!"

Her face was red and she kept her gaze fixated on the potato she was peeling when she asked her mother : "Why did you marry dad?"

"Because I love him, and he loves me," Miyuki answered, a knowing grin on her face. "Maybe one day, you'll find a boy that you'll love too! And if he loves you back, maybe you'll get married."

"How do I know if I love someone?"

"Well, when you love someone, being around them makes you happy. You feel like you could do anything in the world, as long as you're with that person."

"Anything?"

"Yes, anything. I used to feel so alone because I'm so different from everyone else." Miyuki pointed a finger at her own face. "But your father loves me for who I am. When I needed it most, he was there for me, and when he asked me to marry him, I didn't think twice. He didn't have to say anything else, because I knew that he loves me."

"But how do I know if-" She looked up to Miyuki now, her eyes wide and curious. "-I find a boy I love, how do I know if he loves me back?"

"If he loves you, you'll know."

She pouted her lips, clearly not satisfied with her mother's answer. "You mean, if he takes care of me, like dad does for you, then he loves me?"

"Well, what your dad does is a way of showing love, but that's not how I know that he loves me," Miyuki answered, amused at her daughter's sudden interest on the topic. "Why do you want to know so badly? Is there a boy from town that you have a crush on?"

"N-no!" came the reply. "I just- I just want to know, that's all!" Her cheeks turned almost as red as the tomatoes in the garden.

"Is it Jaeger-sensei's son? I know the two of you haven't met, but when I pointed them out at the market you couldn't stop staring at him," the older woman teased, a cheeky smile on her face. "Oh my, you're growing up so fast."

"S-stop it! I just want to know, okay?"

"Well, like I said, if he loves you, you'll know!"

_"How do I know? How do I know if Eren loves me?" _Mikasa screamed into the room from the outside, but the people within didn't seem to notice her existence. "_If he really loved me, would he have attacked me as if I was just a pile of meat? If he loved me, would he keep pushing me away, even though all I want is for him to be safe? Tell me!"_

Only the sound of potatoes being peeled could be heard in the room. Outside, Mikasa sobbed uncontrollably, unable to get the image of Eren feasting on her flesh out of her head. It was her worst nightmare come true, and though she acted calmly in those moments when it happened, now that the incident had time to stew in her mind, she felt like she was going to suffocate._  
_

Miyuki started laughing for no reason, causing the Mikasa sitting opposite her to look up and say "What are you laughing at?"

"Oh, nothing. Just imagining you getting married and starting your own family," she answered. "It'll make me so happy to have grandchildren running around the house!"

"I don't want my own family. I want to be your family."

Miyuki sighed and looked at her daughter lovingly for a few seconds. "Mikasa, did I teach you how to write family in our clan's language yet?" she asked.

The little girl shook her head. Miyuki got up and walked into her bedroom before returning with a quill, an inkwell and a piece of paper. She put the rolled up piece of paper on the table before flattening it with her hand.

"Watch." She wrote the words on the paper carefully, her hand calm and steady as she went about drawing the intricate strokes of the written form of her language.

'家族' were the words that she showed to Mikasa.

"How do you pronounce it?"

"Kazoku," she said.

"Ka- Kazuku" the young girl repeated, still not very used to the strange pronunciations of her mother's language.

"It's kazoku. Ka-zo-ku."

"Kazoku," she finally said, the words somehow feeling warm and comforting as they rolled off her tongue, if words could indeed have such qualities.

"Yes, and in our clan, kazoku is very important. Our kazoku are the people that we love, and the people who love us back. Both you and your father are my kazoku, even though before this my only kazoku was my father, my mother and my brother.

"Mikasa, we'll always be your family. But family doesn't end with us. I hope that one day, you'll find your own family, and you'll find your own happiness."

"_But what's the point if I love him, yet he doesn't love me back?" _Mikasa screamed at the memory of her mother."_How do I know if he loves me?"_

"How do I know if he loves me, though? How do I know if he's my kazoku?" her younger self asked, as if to add to her question.

Miyuki paused for a moment, her eyes closed as if she was deep in thought. "Well, like I said, if he loves you, you'll know. It's hard to tell you, because everyone has their own way of showing love. Maybe you should ask him?"

"Ask him?" the two Mikasas said in unison, a strange harmony of old and young.

"Yes, why don't you ask him if he loves you?"

Suddenly, the world started to collapse around Mikasa. The cabin seemed to leak away, like oil paint being diluted by water and all the furniture faded into shadow, leaving only her mother and her younger self standing before her. Soon, even they started to vanish, cast off into the blackness as her memory returned to the depths of her sub-conscious.

* * *

"Guys, she's waking up!" Armin exclaimed. "She's saying something."

"I don't-" Mikasa started to whisper, her voice weak and parched.

Jean quickly came over to see her. "What is it, Mikasa? Are you alright?"

"-I don't want-" Tears started to flow from her unopened eyes, much to the surprise of the two boys.

"-I don't want it to end like this," she said finally, her eyes opening for the first time since she fell unconscious. "I need to ask him."

"Ask him what?" Jean said, confused by her seemingly random words.

Mikasa looked at Armin and then Jean in turn. "Where- where am I?" she stammered. She felt exhausted, as if she had run for miles on end without stopping for rest. Before the two of them could answer her question, they were shoved aside by a large figure who reached a hand for her shoulder.

"It's completely healed," Reiner said, inspecting the spot where her wound used to be. "But there was no steam or anything. It just healed."

"Get the fuck away from her, you traitor!" Jean yelled, pushing the larger man away. Reiner was tall and well-built, and normally someone like Jean wouldn't have been able to move his large bulk so much as an inch, but he relented and backed away, not interested in fighting with the smaller boy.

"Traitor? What are you taking about?" Mikasa asked, confused by her friend's words.

"Mikasa," Armin whispered, looking into her eyes.

"What is it Armin? What's wrong?"

"Mikasa, Reiner is the armored Titan."

She thought that she was still dazed, so strange and mind-boggling was the sudden revelation.

"What? Are you sure?"

"He came out of the Titan shell. We all saw it with our own eyes," Armin answered, his tone of voice matching the grim expression on her face, "and Annie is the female Titan."

Mikasa felt a bout of outrage wash over her, but unlike Eren, who would probably have snapped and started screaming and threatening Reiner at that moment, she took a deep breath and asked Armin to help her get to her feet.

"You're coming with me, Mikasa," Reiner said when she got up.

"Hey, no one is going anywhere until you explain what is going on!" Connie yelled at him. "Come on man, tell us that you're part of some super secret project to kill all the Titans or something! Right? Am I right?"

Reiner looked at him with a confused look on his face. "Super secret project? What are you talking about, Connie? We're all part of the Recon Corps! You're not going to get any promotions if you're so clueless all the time! Better buck up!"

"You're shitting me, right?" Jean said, putting a protective arm in front of Mikasa. "You're the fucker who caused us all to be neck-deep in this shit in the first place! Quit acting like you're one of us!"

"What are you talking about, Jean? Don't tell me you're going crazy on me too!"

"Looks like you're the one who's crazy," Ymir commented, a deep frown on her face. "Reiner, have you seen Christa?"

Reiner's expression darkened as he turned towards the freckle-faced girl. "Why do you want to know?"

"Do I really need to answer that?" she asked, her tone barbed and venomous. "I'm asking you again. Where is Christa?"

Without warning, Reiner drew a blade from the dispenser at his hip and slashed at Ymir, catching her off-guard. She backed away as quickly as she could, but the cruel metal cut off her entire hand at the wrist.

"What do you think you're doing?" Jean yelled, moving towards him. He stopped short of jumping at the large man when he brought his now blood-stained sword to bear on him. Tension kept everyone's muscles taut like compressed springs, but no one made any movement. A strange hissing sound made them all look at Ymir. It was with horror that they all saw steam billowing from the dismembered stump on her arm. All of them except Reiner of course, who was unmoved by the discovery.

"You're joking, right?" Connie stammered. "You too?" He turned his gaze towards Jean, Armin, and Mikasa, almost as if he expected any one of them to suddenly start spouting steam like a boiling kettle.

Reiner and Ymir stared intently at each other. "When did you turn back to human?" he asked, never taking his gaze off her.

"I don't need to tell you that. Where is Christa?"

"She's safe. We took her during the chaos at the camp."

"Was that your doing?"

Reiner looked back at the others for a moment before returning his attention to Ymir. "No. It wasn't. The plan to capture Eren had failed, so we were going to find another way. But the Titan attack provided the perfect opportunity to salvage the mission."

"You still didn't get Eren at the time," she said, a smirk on her face.

"We have him now, and that's all that matters."

"You took Eren?" Mikasa asked, letting go of Armin and stumbling over to Reiner. "Where is he?"

"With Annie," he answered. "Don't worry, you'll see him soon. Because I'm taking you with me."

Mikasa didn't know what to say. The situation was too surreal for her to really know what to feel or what to do. "What is your purpose?" she asked at length.

"Originally, we were meant to wipe out humanity. But then Eren showed up with his ability. Now, our objective is him, Christa, you, and-" He looked towards Ymir. "-you."

"Do you really expect me to follow you like a dog?" Ymir said, moving her remaining hand to her mouth as if she meant to bite it and turn into a Titan.

"Do you think this world has a future?" Reiner yelled suddenly, his voice loud and resonant. Startled, Ymir kept her quiet, observing him keenly with narrowed eyes. "If you know that, then it's still not too late for you to come over to our side, is it?" he continued.

"Are you telling me to trust you? No way! There's no way you're going to trust me either!"

"That isn't true. I can trust you! Your goal is to protect Christa, isn't it?" he said. Seeing the expression on her face, he knew that his words had hit home. "That's one instance where we should be able to rely on each other! It might seem like I'm joking, but don't you think we can agree on the notion that we both want to do something about Christa?

"If you turn into a Titan and attack me now, Bertholdt will escape with Christa, and you'll never see her again. I can't guarantee your safety, but when it comes to Christa, there may be something we can do. It's your choice. Your life? Or Christa's future?"

"Stop talking like we're not here!" Jean cut in angrily. "What's all this about the world and Christa? Stop kidding around!"

Armin pulled Jean aside and shushed him. "There's nothing we can do now," he whispered to him. "All we can do is observe and gain as much information as we can.

Ignoring the boy's outburst, Reiner said "What's your decision?"

Ymir eyed him warily, and it was a good few moments before she finally gave her answer. "Just bring me to Christa."

He nodded at her and then turned to face the people who he would not be taking with him.

"You gonna eat us? Huh? I looked up to you, man!" Connie said, his voice trembling. "What happened to all that 'soldier's duty' bullshit? What happened to all those years training together?"

"I'm a warrior," he replied, seemingly unfazed by the short boy's ranting. He looked as if he was struggling with some sort of dilemma in his head, looking to each of the boys in turn as if he was deciding something that had to do with them.

"There are two horses further north of here that we used for a while after the attack. Wait for nightfall, then ride for the wall as fast as you can. There won't be any night Titans tonight."

Jean felt a sense of relief that there seemed to finally be a way out of this nightmare, and it disgusted him to the core. He looked to Mikasa and cursed himself for his weakness. Inside, he knew that he really wanted to just take Reiner's offer and bolt for the Karanese district, but he couldn't just let them take Mikasa and Ymir like this, could he? Was he really such a coward after all?

"Hey, where are you taking them? You can't just-" he started to say, but Reiner interrupted him.

"Remember to send a rescue party, okay? I'm too heavy for the horses, but Armin and Connie should be able to share one! I'll hold out here as long as I can!"

Dumbfounded by Reiner's nonsensical words, Jean couldn't find an appropriate response. The large man seemed to be mentally disturbed somehow, like sometimes he didn't know what he was doing, or who he really was. Like he didn't know that he was a mass murderer.

Mikasa walked over to Armin and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Go, Armin. Take them with you."

"Are you sure you want to follow them?"

"I have to see Eren. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine," she said with a warm smile. "You have to take this chance and bring whatever information you have back."

Armin sighed and nodded reluctantly. He was terrified that this was going to be the last time that he was going to see her, but he also knew what had to be done. He knew how cruel fate could be, and he knew that he had to learn to accept it. "Don't die," he whispered, his voice cracking. Mikasa said those same words to Eren before, and now to be the one receiving them felt strange indeed. But she knew what it felt to be in Armin's shoes at the moment, so she could better appreciate the sentiment.

"I won't," she answered firmly, repeating the same words that Eren had said to her that day, but with a far warmer tone, giving the reply a completely different feeling to the one she had received. "I'm not dying here."

Armin smiled and locked her in a tight embrace.

"Let's go," Reiner said, putting an end to their warm moment.

As she turned to leave, Jean pulled her back.

"Wait, Mikasa, I-" he stammered, his heart pounding as she looked upon his face. "Hey, you're not seriously going with them, are you?"

"I have to do this, Jean." She put a comforting hand on his arm, unintentionally causing him to blush. She glanced at Connie as well and smiled at him."Good luck," she said to the both of them. Connie was at a loss for words, so he returned her smile and squeezed her arm as well.

Jean looked like he wanted to say more as Mikasa left them, but Armin stopped him.

"We'd better hurry. We've wasted enough time already. That damn deviant should be almost out of the forest by now, even with that broken leg I gave him," Reiner said when she walked over to him and Ymir.

"Can you even turn? It really did a number on you," Ymir asked in a monotonous and unfeeling manner, clearly not truly concerned for his well-being.

"We'll get there. We'll rendezvous with Bertholdt and Christa now." Without another word, he bit his hand and transformed once again into the armored Titan. He offered his hand to the two girls and lifted them up to his shoulders before leaving the place, never even taking a single glance at those that they were leaving behind. Perched on Reiner's right shoulder, Mikasa tried not to worry about her friends' survival. Right now, she had only one goal. She had to find Eren.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Please give me a review. :) Now that I've gotten this chapter out of the way, time to update my other fic, Midnight Sun! :D**

**I wrote the Japanese word for 'kazoku' in it's kanji form in this chapter, just so y'all know. Incidentally, it's exactly the same as the Chinese written form of family. Well, technically. In Chinese, we tend to call family '家庭', pronounced as 'jia ting', and it is the more common word for family. '家族', which is pronounced as 'kazoku in Japanese, or 'jia zu' in Chinese, means 'clan' and tends to be more formal in its usage. I hope that all of your computers will be able to display the words instead of just showing up as boxes! Hehe.**

**Till next time! Stay classy, readers! :)**


	9. Webs

**A/N: Sorry bout the delayed release guys! A mixture of laziness plus having to plan more thoroughly for upcoming chapters caused it! Hehe. Well, still only took two weeks, eh? Kinda sad to break the streak I had going there though. What was it, a chapter a week for the past 5 chapters? Haha. From now on, we'll put the update window between 1-2 weeks, ok? 1 week if all goes smoothly, 2 weeks if I'm having a bit of writer's block. :)**

**Credit to : Salaeren as always for his excellent beta work.**

**Special note : From now on, I'm going to spell it 'Hange', because that is her official name. 'Zoe Hange'. I'm going back to the earlier chapter to change the spelling too. I wanna keep it as 'Rivaille' instead of 'Levi' though, cos it looks much cooler. D: lol. Makes the Hange/Hanji thing seem kinda dumb though, eh? Tell me in your reviews if you'd like me to keep 'Hanji' instead, if it bothers you.  
**

**P.S. : When I first posted this chapter all the line breaks I inserted between scenes were missing. I've rectified that now. Sorry bout that!**

* * *

**Chapter 9 - Webs**

"Please, sir! Do you know what happened to Eren, Mikasa, and Armin?" Hannes asked, involuntarily grabbing Rivaille's shoulders with his hands. He immediately pulled away, afraid that he might have overstepped his bounds.

"Captain Hannes of the Wall Rose stationary guard, was it?" Rivaille sighed. "I'm sorry, but we have no news of them yet. Who were they to you?"

"I was a friend of Eren's parents. I've known Eren and Armin since they were toddlers, and when Mikasa joined them, it was like she's always been part of the family." Hannes clenched his fists. "They don't deserve to die so young."

"No one truly deserves to die, but we're still losing men and women all the time," Rivaille said. Seeing Hannes' sorrowful look, he softened his tone slightly. "I'll send for you the moment we have any news of them."

Rivaille looked over Hannes' shoulder to see Hange approaching them. "I've got everything in order," she said when she reached them. "Who is this?"

"Captain Hannes of the Stationary Guard, madam!" he said, offering her a salute.

"Well met. Squad leader Hange of the Recon Corps, at your service."

"I have to go now, Captain. Double the watches and stay vigilant, in case you haven't been notified already. We're expecting a Titan attack soon," said the lance corporal.

"I don't know how the Titans could get inside the walls like your people have warned us, but we will do what must be done." Hannes saluted Rivaille. "If there's any word..."

"I'll notify you immediately. Good day, Captain."

Hange and Rivaille left swiftly, Hannes watching them until they were out of sight. He sighed and turned on his heel, making for the stationary guards barracks.

_I have my own duties to fulfill_, he thought as he weaved his way between the people on the street. _Don't die, you three. I know you'll be alright._

* * *

"If I asked you to, would you be able to kill another person?" Rivaille asked in no uncertain terms to the two soldiers standing before him. To his left stood Anya, a tall, slender girl with blindingly bright blonde hair, tied up in a bun. She had sharp almond eyes that sparkled brilliantly in the dimly lit room, deep pools of sapphire that have captivated many a man's heart.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, her accent thick and heavy, unlike anyone in the outer towns and cities. The accent of one of high birth.

Beside her, Jelani did not say a word, his small, brown eyes observing Rivaille intently, as if he was waiting for him to give away some hint that this was all just a test. The man towered above even Anya, his arms and chest thickly corded with large, rippling muscles. His hair was black and closely cropped, befitting his orderly personality.

"Rivaille... what is it that you're planning to do?" Hange said, suddenly becoming very worried by his grim words.

The lance corporal looked to each of them in turn, his gaze lingering only briefly on each person. "I understand the gravity of what I am asking you all," he said slowly, his arms crossed in front of his chest, "but I need to know the answer. I do not want any of you to hesitate should it come to that."

An uneasy pause followed, punctuated only by the shallow breathing of everyone present in the room. It was Jelani who finally broke the silence, speaking up for the first time since he'd arrived there. "We are soldiers," he said, his voice deep and resonant. "Our duty is to fight, and if need be, kill the enemies of humanity. We do not kill the Titans because they are Titans, but because they are the enemies of humanity." The sergeant met Rivaille's gaze with his own. "Are the enemies that you ask us to face the enemies of humanity?"

"Yes and no." Rivaille turned his back on them and picked up one of the pistols that were laying on the table in the center of the room. "There is too much we do not know yet for me to be able to tell you who exactly is our enemy. But according to your words, I take it that if it is for the greater good, you will be willing to stain your hands with human blood?"

Jelani nodded solemnly.

"And you? Anya."

She stole a glance at Jelani, something which Rivaille noticed. "Yes," she said, a smirk on her face.

"Do not let your pride make you say something you do not believe, Private," Rivaille said, placing the pistol in her hand and making her point it at his heart. "If the mission requires that you take a human life, will you be able to do it?"

A frown graced Anya's face, her confident expression turning into a dark scowl. "Have you ever killed a man?" she asked, her tone threatening, like that of a hissing snake.

"Yes," Rivaille replied bluntly, shocking everyone in the room, "and I'm not proud of it."

Anya gulped, clearly taken aback by his answer. She returned the pistol to him and said "If I need to, I will."

Rivaille eyed her for a few more moments, making her feel uneasy, something which she was clearly not used to. "That will have to do," he said, walking behind the table. Laid upon the tabletop was a set of pistols and swords, dull and ordinary looking; standard stationary guard gear.

"Rivaille, what are you planning to do? Why didn't you ask me what you asked them?" Hange said, walking over to him.

"You've helped me a lot already by lending me your troops. I can't ask you to get involved any further. This is beyond our jurisdiction as soldiers of the Recon Corps."

"Don't do this, Rivaille. Let me help."

"No," he said with an air of finality, holstering two of the pistols from the table. He did not take a sword, opting for a dagger instead, which would be easier to wield in his condition. "Equip yourselves and meet me at the carriage. We'd better get this done before everyone within Wall Rose is up to their asses in Titans." With that, he left the room swiftly.

"Don't worry, squad leader," Jelani said when he'd taken his weapons, "we will serve him well. Please stay safe while we're away." He pressed a balled up fist to his heart in salute to her before leaving the room.

"I don't know what shit he has in store for us, but I'll show that shortie a thing or two about Squad Hange power," Anya said with a salute as well. Zoe watched her leave with great reluctance.

Once the three soldiers were inside the carriage, Rivaille immediately ordered the driver to set out towards their destination. Satisfied that they were on their way at last, he turned to face his two new subordinates.

"We are heading to the other side of the Karanese district. The slums," he said.

"So, are you finally going to tell us what the hell you want the both of us for?" Anya asked, her lack of respect for him thinly concealed.

"We're going to see an information broker. The_ 'Blood Spider'_, they call her. Her real name is Ingrid Wolff. She's as bad as they come. A real sadist. Not exactly anyone's idea of a real catch."

"You sound like you speak from experience," Jelani said, his expression remaining unchanged, but his eyes bright with a knowing twinkle.

"Let's not get into that." Rivaille looked like he was going to be sick. "Anyway, this is real underworld stuff we're getting into. Organized crime is a serious business. I'm hoping we won't need to do any fighting, and I don't think we will have to if we play our cards right, but nonetheless, if it comes to it, these people aren't going to pull any punches. So the two of you have to make sure that you don't either."

"Such scum aren't deserving of mercy," Anya said, a disgusted look on her face. "If any of them dare to stand before my blade, I'll gladly cut them down to size."

"You used to work in organized crime, didn't you?" Jelani asked as the carriage hit a bump in the road, causing the three of them to bounce up in their seats. Due to his large size, Jelani's head hit the roof with a solid thump, but he barely seemed to notice it.

"Yes, before I joined the Recon Corps," he answered, ignoring Anya's judging gaze. "You're very sharp, sergeant."

"I've had to be."

"You saw the way the driver stared at him just now, before we got in," Anya cut in. "It's the same with half the people who come across him. People don't tend to treat him the same as us."

Rivaille sighed. "Humans are afraid of anything they don't understand," he said, looking out the window of the carriage. They were traveling through a market now, the sounds of people bartering and doing business reaching them whenever the noise of the moving carriage subsided enough for them to hear it. "I don't care about the color of your skin. You and I, we are both soldiers of the Recon Corps. We fight for humanity. That is enough."

"Thank you," Jelani said, nodding respectfully at him.

They made no more conversation for the rest of the journey. When they finally came to a stop it was already evening, the setting sun painting the buildings a dull, egg yolk-orange. Stepping out of the carriage, they were greeted by wary eyes, some plain and obvious, some hidden in the shadows. The spaces between the buildings were dark and cramped, the damp alleyways exuding a threatening sense of danger, like a coiled up snake waiting to strike at its prey.

"I don't like this place," Anya mumbled as they made their way through the streets. "What are you looking at?" she yelled at some people who were staring at Jelani's dark skin.

"Anya. It's okay," Jelani said, taking little heed of the curious bystanders.

"What? They're idiots and they deserve a scolding."

"Quiet, you two. We're here," Rivaille said as they came to a stop in front of an inn called 'Friedrich's Bed and Breakfast'. The muffled sounds of cutlery scratching against plates and the chatter of people leaked out of the door. "Wait here."

He left the two of them at the door and entered the building. It was a busy evening for the inn it seemed, with all its tables full with all sorts of people eating food and making merry. Scanning the tables for the person he was looking for, Rivaille found him seated in a corner of the room, his hands groping under the dress of a big bosomed whore.

"Still as perverted as I remember you being, Philip," Rivaille said, seating himself across from the man and his promiscuous friend.

"What the fuck?" Philip exclaimed, startled by the sudden intrusion. He pulled away from the woman and stared at the newcomer in disbelief. "What are you doing here? I thought you went off to play soldier?"

"I'm not 'playing' soldier," he scoffed. "Anyway, I need to see Ingrid."

"You know that she still has that bounty on your head right? And you still dare to walk onto her turf like this?"

"I'm still in one piece, aren't I?" Underneath the table, Rivaille pointed his pistol at his former associate. He gestured downwards, making sure that Philip knew full well about the firearm being aimed at his groin. "Give me the hideout location. She'll listen to what I have to say."

"Look, don't drag me into whatever you're planning alright? I'm just trying to get by."

The sound of the pistol being cocked could clearly be heard over the din, drawing the attention of some of the neighbouring patrons. They looked at them for a few seconds before returning to their food and drink. Disagreements and fights happened often enough in this part of town, with many a gun brandished in anger on a regular basis, but it rarely ever devolved into a real shootout. No one ever dared to cause any trouble in the _Blood Spider's_ territory.

Philip knew that Rivaille wouldn't hesitate to shoot him if he wanted to, however, so he was far less inclined to simply disregard the threat. "Fine, but keep my name out of it, you prick." He left to borrow a quill and a piece of paper from the innkeeper. Returning to the table, he scribbled some words on a corner of the paper and tore off, handing it to Rivaille. "Now get out of here."

"Lay off the whores, Philip. You'll catch some disease from them one of these days. You look like crap," he said before getting to his feet. Once outside the building, he was bemused to find that his soldiers were no longer where he had left them.

* * *

In the shadows of an alleyway across the street from the inn, Hange spied Rivaille leaving Jelani and Anya at the door. Behind her, her tired horse neighed wearily, nudging her in the back with its nose. "Shh, don't make any noise, Levy. You'll give us away," she whispered, stroking her horse's large flank.

"That's a mighty fine beast you've got there, madam," a voice said from behind her, making her jump. Wielding a wicked looking knife, a mugger emerged from the shadows. "Give me all your money, and the horse, if you please."

Hange reached for the blade at her hip but was immediately stopped by the mugger's accomplice. Before she knew it, she was surrounded by three thugs, all strongly built and reeking of ale. "You don't want to test us, missy."

"Hey look here. This bitch is Recon Corps!" said one of the men, pointing at the crest on her back.

"Does it matter? Let's just rob her and go," the smallest of the trio mumbled, nervousness evident in his voice. He kept looking over his shoulder, as if he expected stationary guard soldiers to pop out at any moment.

"Why should we stop at that?" the one with the knife cooed. He placed the cold metal against her cheek, a sinister grin on his face. "She ain't half bad, now that I've taken a closer look. Who knew that the military had such pretty women?"

As the three criminals went about their banter, Hange remained silent and calm. She formulated a plan inside her head and braced herself to enact it. "Sorry boys, but I've got more important things to attend to," she said, all the muscles in her body coiled up and ready to act.

"Levy! Rear!"

Startled by her sudden shout, the man with the knife lashed out at her, but she ducked underneath the slash just in time. Behind them, the horse reared up on its hind legs and smashed its hoof right into the thug's skull, knocking him straight into the floor. Hange quickly made to dash between the two remaining muggers, but one of them managed to grab at her cloak, causing her to lose her balance and fall out onto the street.

"You bitch!" screamed the largest man as he barreled towards her. He didn't manage to reach her, instead running into what he initially thought was a solid brick wall. Dazed and on the floor, he looked up to see a giant of a man look down at him, his expression calm yet somehow exuding an aura of venomous fury. "It's the devil!" the man screamed hysterically upon noticing the color of his skin. "It's a monster!"

"I think you are the monster here," Jelani said, picking the man off the floor with ease.

"If I were still in the capital I'd have them taken in to be castrated," Anya said wickedly, her sword scraping against the squirming man's crotch. "Well, I guess I could always do it myself."

"Please, don't! We're sorry!" said the smallest of the thugs, his entire body trembling as he helped his injured friend to his feet. The man's head was covered in blood, and he barely seemed to be conscious.

"That's enough!"

Jelani threw the man roughly at his friends, causing them to fall heavily on top of each other in a heap. Needing no further incentive to make themselves scarce, they quickly took their injured friend and disappeared from sight. Once they were gone, the three soldiers turned to face Rivaille.

"Why did you have to follow us?" Rivalle said to Hange. "I told you, you shouldn't be involved."

"You don't get to decide that for me!" Hange bellowed, walking right up to the lance corporal. "I have a stake in this too. Hell, we all do! If there is a conspiracy behind the Titans then I have a responsibility to find out. You can't just expect me to sit on my ass while you endanger yourself and my soldiers! I am coming with you, and that's final."

To everyone's muted surprise, Rivaille looked legitimately shocked by Hange's outburst. "Let's go then," he said at length, returning to his usual self. He fished the piece of paper that Philip had given him earlier out of his pocket. "This is the place we're heading for. A butcher's shop in the south market." He turned and walked away quickly, expecting the three of them not to dally any longer.

"Are you alright, squad leader?" Jelani asked as he patted the dust off Hange's back.

"I'm fine, thanks Jel. Let's get going!" she replied before running off after Rivaille. Jelani took the reins of her horse and led it along, Anya by his side.

"Looks like she's got that skip in her step again," Anya commented as she sheathed her sword.

"You're right. I'm not sure if I'm as enthusiastic, though."

"What's the matter, Jel? Afraid of a little fighting?" She snickered.

"No. I'm afraid of what answers the lance corporal seeks," Jelani replied.

* * *

The sound of gunfire quickened their footsteps when they neared the butcher's shop. Once outside the building, Jelani quickly tied the horse's reins to one of the wooden posts of the veranda before they entered. Rushing through the front door, they were shocked to see human corpses strewn about the room, some lying in red puddles on the floor, and some among the meat on the counters, their blood mixing with that of the animals.

"There's been a fight here," Anya whispered, drawing her sword from its scabbard.

"Oh no, this is a cannibal's butcher shop. Didn't I tell you?" Rivaille said dryly, drawing his own weapons. At the back of the room, a door that was identical to the walls of the shop stood ajar. It was a secret door,leading into underground rooms where the _Blood Spider_ had her base of operations.

"Looks like we'll have to do some fighting after all," Rivaille said, moving towards the doorway. A narrow staircase lead to the rooms below. "Jelani, take point. Once we're down there, our main objective is the retrieval of Ingrid Wolff. The elimination of hostiles is secondary."

"Yes sir!" Jelani answered, drawing his sword in one hand and his flintlock pistol in the other. He took a deep breath before descending the steps, followed immediately by Rivaille.

"I've got your back!" Anya said to Hange, the trembling of her voice betraying her outwardly calm appearance as the adrenaline rushed through her veins. She quickly ran down after Rivaille, Hange close behind her.

* * *

**Thanks a lot for reading! Please be an awesome reader and give me a review. :) Tell me what you think of the new OCs! I hope I can make them live up to the standards set by Elizabeth and Klaus. :p  
**

**Check out my Mikaere romance fic - Midnight Song - if you haven't. :D Really fluffy side project for Mikaere love!  
**

**By the way, just wanna say that Hannes is such an awesome character. Like, he's one of the best in the series, I'd say. So much depth. So human.  
**

**Well, till next time! Stay classy, readers!**


	10. Tools

**A/N: Finally. Chapter 10. First off, I'd like to thank all my readers for your support so far! It is something of a milestone isn't it? 10 chapters? Hehe.**

**I truly apologize for the late update. A mixture of writer's block and procrastination has really held me back. I hope that I haven't lost too many of my readers. :( The good news is, during this downtime I've thought a lot about this story and I have a clearer picture now of the final act, so hopefully this will give me the momentum to churn chapters out! Haha. I know this chapter is kinda short. I was originally gonna write this whole long scene thing with everything happening in one chapter, but after further consideration, I decided to split it into two chapters. I'll release the next chapter by next week, I promise!**

**Also, you might have noticed that Tears of a Titan has a brand spanking new cover art. :D That's all thanks to Shrapnel893! Nice work man, thanks a bunch. :) Go check out his fic : Titanic Gateway! He deserves more readers. He takes requests for art too, so if you want a cool cover for your fic, you can ask him!**

**Advertisement : Go read Losing Control by HighQueen. Best Mikaere fic out there. Go. Read. Me beta that fic. You read. Me happy.**

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**Chapter 10 - Tools**

"Why is Christa unconscious? You bastard!" Ymir said with a scowl on her face.

Bertholdt sighed and glanced over at the girl with eyes that were calm yet heavy with the weight of responsibility. "When she knew that you were there, she started to get… too anxious."

"You fucking bastard!"

"I didn't really hurt her. The last thing we want to do is hurt her. Trust me."

Ymir went silent, but she never stopped glaring at him with a gaze that oozed with contempt. She was not the only one to do so. Mikasa stood right behind Ymir on Reiner's right shoulder, the tenseness in her stance a reflection of the wariness she held for the other people in their small group. They'd picked up the newcomers along the way and were now heading out of the forest as quickly as Reiner's remaining strength allowed.

"Give her over." Ymir reached a hand out towards him, her free hand clutching onto Reiner's pale white hair for balance.

"Stay back," Bertholdt replied, his fingers curling around the grip of the hardened steel blade at his hip. "Why did Reiner bring you along? And you?" He pointed a finger at Mikasa. "Our only goal was to capture Eren."

Mikasa scowled when he mentioned the name of her beloved. "You have no right to say his name," she said. Her voice was calm, but her threatening words bore more malice than any shout or scream could have hoped to carry. "If Reiner is the armored Titan, that makes you the Colossal."

"You're right."

"After all that Eren's done for me, you destroyed his-" Mikasa clenched her fists so hard that her fingernails dug painfully into her skin. "No. You destroyed _our_ family. And you've known it all along. All these years. Eren told you didn't you? How did that make you feel?"

Bertholdt unconsciously took half a step back, the intensity of Mikasa's gaze so fierce that it almost felt like she could strangle him with just her thoughts. "When he told me that a Titan ate his mother because of what I did," he said slowly," I felt sorry for him."

"You pitied him?"

"Yes."

"The only reason you're still alive right now is because I need to find Eren."

"The prince goes to save his princess," Ymir said dryly. "Oh, sorry. I mean the princess goes to save her prince. What a useless prince."

"Just like how you let them take Christa?" Mikasa ducked her head to avoid a low-lying branch as Reiner continued to press onward. Ymir turned to face her with a cold, hateful expression etched onto her face.

"You're a Titan too. You're just the same as them. Don't think for a second that we are allies just because we have a common enemy," the oriental girl said.

"Mikasa the stone cold killer." Ymir smirked.

"So that's why Reiner brought you. You're a shifter," Bertholdt said. "And what about Mikasa?"

The two girls did not deign to reply to him.

"We're both the same you know? You and Eren. Me and Christa. I'm sure even someone with a single track mind like you can see that we can help each other out," Ymir whispered so that Bertholdt could not hear her.

"I will find Eren and I will protect him." Mikasa exuded an air of hostility that even the ever-cocky Ymir found unnerving. "I don't care how much blood I must spill."

"Stupid obsessive bitch. Though I can't say that I don't understand."

A chilling cry interrupted the conversation, and they looked down to see a number of Titans running after Reiner, snapping at his heels. So far there were only small Titans - all of them under 10 meters - but they could see a few much larger Titans in the distance. The small Titans at Reiner's feet chased tenaciously, sometimes stumbling in the overgrowth or over logs and other obstacles, but always getting back up and continuing to run mindlessly towards their target.

"Why is Mikasa here?" Bertholdt asked again.

"Cos she has to save her boyfriend. What do you think?" Ymir answered him in a snide manner.

"Ymir! You want Christa to be safe don't you? We want it too. That makes us allies, doesn't it? So tell me."

"That remains to be seen." Ymir flexed her fingers threateningly.

"Is Mikasa a shifter too?" he asked.

"Even better. She's bloody immortal."

"What do you mean?"

"Apparently, Eren turned into a miniature Titan and he thought it was a good idea to start feeling Mikasa up and give her a love bite. Let's just say he's not known for being gentle," Ymir said as she pointed at her own neck.

"I don't know why that happened." Mikasa rubbed her shoulder where the wound had been. "I just know that I'm not one of you."

"She didn't regenerate like us?" Bertholdt shifted his feet so that he could balance better on his perch.

"If you mean if she started steaming like a boiling kettle, then no. It was magic."

Berholdt's eyes widened for a moment, and then he averted his gaze.

"You look like you know something," the freckle-faced girl noted.

"Yes. It makes sense now."

"What does?"

"This whole farce," he said bitterly.

* * *

In the farmhouse, Eren sat quietly by himself, his back turned on Annie. The girl was sleeping now, her low, wheezing breaths punctuating the silence with a soft, peaceful rhythm. Eren got to his feet and walked over to the slumbering girl. He squatted down in front of her and stared intently at her face. Was this really the face of a murderer? He kept telling himself that she was one of the reasons that so many people had died, but he found it hard for him to reconcile that fact with the seemingly frail girl in front of him. Memories of all those years together with her in the trainees' squad came to his mind unbidden.

"You were always alone. Does that mean that you at least had the good grace to feel ashamed?" he muttered. He saw the bruises that he'd left on her neck and cringed. Strangling her was a violent act to do to another human being, even for him.

_She's not a human though. She's scum_, he thought to himself, but it didn't make him feel any better. _Maybe I am a monster after all. I killed Elizabeth and Klaus. I killed Mikasa. And I almost throttled Annie to death. I almost killed someone I once called a friend. I'm scum too._

Eren got to his feet and backed away from Annie. As he gazed upon her sleeping form, he made a promise to himself. He promised that he would never lose control of himself ever again. He had the rest of his life to regret his sins. He didn't want to hurt anyone else.

_Clang!_ A metallic sound rang out from outside. It sounded like a bucket had been pushed over. Eren held his breath as he strained to hear if there was anyone or anything moving nearby.

"What was that?" Annie whispered, stirring from her sleep.

Without answering her, Eren slowly made his way towards the door. He stepped gingerly across the floorboards, trying to minimize the loud creaking of the wood as it strained under his weight. Peeking out of the doorway, he saw a tin bucket in question rolling lazily across the courtyard. It kept moving until it hit a garden hoe lying on the floor, then it rocked back and forth like a tortoise flipped upside down before slowing to a standstill.

_Meow!_

Eren jumped at the sudden cry, his entire body braced for a fight. A shabby cat strolled languidly into his vision, taking no heed of him. It pushed the now motionless bucket with a paw and cried again.

_Meow!_

He breathed a sigh of relief. "It's just a cat." He turned to re-enter the house.

"Eren, look out!" Annie shouted. The warning came just in time, as Eren ducked right underneath the Titan's wild swipe at his head. Desperately scrambling away from his assailant, he grabbed Annie's arm and dragged her out the back door. They stumbled over to the dilapidated barn as quickly as they could, but the dull sound of bare feet slapping against the hard ground told them that the Titan was not far behind.

"You've got to transform. We don't have anything to fight it with," Annie said urgently.

"No! I'm not turning into that monster again!"

"Listen to me you stubborn idiot! If you don't turn, we both die. What good is that?"

"I don't care if you die."

Annie didn't respond to him. Eren found himself wondering whether his cold words had hurt her.

"It doesn't matter. I'm going to fight," he said before running out of the barn to meet his enemy.

The Titan was a small one. It stood two meters tall, just short enough for it to be able to make it through the tiny door of the farmhouse, though it did clumsily knock its head against the door panel as it ducked inside earlier. It was thin and wiry, with long, flailing arms and a bow-legged gait. It had long, wavy hair and a buck-toothed grin.

"You're one ugly motherfucker aren't you?" Eren said as he stared down his opponent. The Titan walked slowly towards him, its steps bearing little urgency. He scanned the courtyard for a way to beat the Titan without weapons. He recalled Klaus' bravery in taking on a Titan with nothing but a hardened steel knife and tried to draw courage from the memory.

The Titan lunged at Eren, and he quickly rolled aside to avoid the attack. Just like most Titans, the monster had no sense of controlling its own strength, so it had jumped at him with all its might, causing it to lose its balance and fall into a heap on the ground. Instinctively, Eren moved to mount its back just like he normally would in a hand-to-hand fight, but he quickly remembered that this was a Titan and not just a very large man that he was fighting, so he checked himself at the last moment.

In a way, small Titans like these were even more disturbing than their larger counterparts, simply because they were small enough to almost pass off as being human. Eren eyed it with disgust as it clumsily got to its feet. He could dodge its crude attacks easily, but that wasn't going to be any use, not unless he could play tag with it till night time, but he doubted that he could last that long. The Titan reached an arm out to grab him, but he ducked away again. Eren instinctively lifted his hand to his mouth, but just as he was about to clamp down on it, the image of Mikasa covered in blood stopped him.

"I don't need that power. I'm going to kill you as a human being!" Eren yelled angrily as he prepared to dodge another attack. As he moved out of the way yet again, he caught a glimpse of the well that stood in the shade of a tree right next to the barn and got a reckless idea.

With great dexterity, he managed to pick up a rusty pitchfork from the ground as he rolled by it. When he got back to his feet, he wielded the farming tool as if it were a spear, pointing it at the onrushing giant. When it was close enough, he thrust his weapon forward, stabbing the Titan in its left eye. Its momentum brought it crashing to the ground, but Eren managed to sidestep it as it crushed the abandoned pitchfork beneath its weight. Wasting no time, Eren picked up the garden hoe and rushed towards the downed Titan. With its bloodied eye still steaming as it regenerated in its socket, the Titan pushed itself up onto its elbows only for its remaining eye to greet rusted iron. The hoe was hardly a sharp weapon, so Eren slammed it repeatedly against the Titan's face like a crude battleaxe, hacking away at its eyeball until it was no more than blood and steam.

"Alright," Eren said aloud as he backed off from the now-blinded Titan and threw the tool aside. The Titan stood up and tried to find him, but it could see nothing. Eren quickly ran over and positioned himself in front of the well. "Over here, you fucker!"

The sound of Eren's voice attracted the blind Titan, and it staggered towards the source of the sound with outstretched arms. A few feet away from the well, it stepped on something round - it was the bucket from earlier. The Titan was heavy, and it crushed the bucket under its weight, but not before slipping on it and losing its balance. Eren was now behind it, and with all the strength that he possessed, he rammed into its back and pushed it forward, forcing it to trip onto the well.

The easy part was over. Now came the hard part. The monster was now leaning against the well, and Eren had to try and tip it so that it would fall inside. He positioned himself under the squirming Titan's feet and heaved upwards, but he was not strong enough.

Eren's world went white and full of stars when the Titan kicked him hard in the face as he struggled, but he willed himself to keep pushing. He would not lose. Again he pushed, but the beast would not budge.

"Push!"

Eren looked to his side and saw Annie next to him, holding onto the Titan's leg. "What are you waiting for? Push!" she yelled. Together, they made one final heave and managed to tip it over and into the well. It slid inside and got stuck halfway down the shaft. Its muffled cries could be heard from above, and when they looked down they could see it wriggling helplessly like a worm caught in between a person's fingers, but it wasn't going to be leaving anytime soon.

The two of them sat down against the barn wall, both panting heavily.

"I don't need those stupid powers to win," Eren said when they finally calmed down. "Humans can beat Titans."

"You still needed my help."

"I could have done it."

"You could have saved yourself a lot of trouble if you had just accepted who you are and turned."

"Who I am is not you." Eren grabbed Annie by the collar. "I didn't choose to become this way."

"You think any of us chose to become like this?"

Eren's eyes narrowed.

"Some things aren't for you to decide. Sometimes you get dealt a shitty hand and you have to live with it," Annie said weakly. "We don't enjoy this. The power itself is not an indication of evil. It's what you do with it. Just like a sword. You can use it to murder, or you can use it to protect. Titan-shifting is just a means to an end."

"So are you evil?" Eren asked cautiously.

Annie tilted her head upwards and looked up at the clear blue sky. "I'm not a good person. But does that mean I'm evil? I don't know." She glanced at him. "There's a lot that I don't know."

"I won't turn into a Titan ever again."

"You'd be surprised how quickly you can change your mind when you're on the verge of death."

The sound of a thunderous footstep ended their conversation prematurely. They could feel the ground rumble beneath them, and before they could react, the barnhouse behind them exploded in a flurry of broken wood and splinters as a Titan's fist burst through the wall. Eren flew high into the air and landed a distance away, while Annie was crushed beneath the debris.

Winded as he was by the force of the fall, it took a few moments for Eren to regain control of his faculties. When he looked up, he saw the twenty five meter deviant towering before him. It was the same one from the giant tree forest, and had finally caught up to them. He felt a thick sense of dread envelop him when he saw it pluck his friend from the ruins of the barn.

"Annie!" he cried as it closed its fist tightly over her body. As if in response to Eren, the deviant's hand burst open in a shower of flesh and hard Titan skin, a Titan-form Annie materializing out of thin air. She landed heavily on the ground and stumbled away, clearly too weak to even stand properly. She did not have any skin on her body, and her arms were deformed. Her transformation was incomplete. She glanced over at Eren and he knew what the look on her face meant : she wanted him to run.

"No! You run! You can't fight that thing!" Eren screamed as he saw Annie lunge towards the deviant. It easily knocked her aside with a swing of its gigantic arm, but she simply got up and attacked again and again.

Eren thought about turning into a Titan there and then, but he could not overcome the mental block that held him back. And yet he would not run and leave Annie behind. So it seemed that he would have to watch her die.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Please review! :) Also, don't worry that I'll just stop updating one day. I promise, I WILL FINISH THIS STORY.**

**Announcement : deathmakesapoet, yours truly, has successfully written his first Mikaere smutfic. :D A very very sexy, angsty, awesome smutfic. With lots of input from my good friend and talented writer (not to mention veteran smutfic writer) : HighQueen! It's actually my version of a scene from her story - Losing Control - so it's technically a fanfic of a fanfic. lol. Anyhoo, I'm going to synchronize release of the smutfic with the release of Chapter 4 of her story. Stay tuned! :D And check her story out for maximum enjoyment. :3  
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**I'll release Chapter 11 by next week. If I fail to do so, I give you permission to bombard my inbox with messages telling me what a shitty person I am. :P  
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**Till next time!  
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	11. Inferno

**A/N: I made a big mistake in the previous chapter. The deviant is not thirty meters, but between twenty and twenty-five meters. It's the same deviant that they met in the giant tree forest in chapter 5. I am truly mortified that I have to explain this in the author's note, but it's the only way for the readers who read the chapter before I edited it to understand! So sorry for that. :\  
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**Also, let's try and get to 200 reviews with this chapter, eh? It'd make me so happy! :P Haha. But please don't leave a review just saying '200'. I know you mean well, but it's cheating! Haha. Well, I guess I really shouldn't care so much about reviews, but they really do brighten up my day, as I'm sure the fanfiction writers among you will know! Hehe. Whatever be the case, next chapter coming up within the next two weeks!  
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**Anyway, I've written two Mikaere smut pieces, in case y'all didn't know! I've contributed both of them to High Queen's Mikaere smut collection : Shingeki no Smut! Please check it out and show some support, will ya? It's really hot and really steamy, I promise! I mean, you've got nothing to lose, right? That's some super high quality smut right there. And not just mine. High Queen is a smut master! Huehuehue.**** Be sure to check out her main fic : Losing Control, too! I'm beta-ing for it, so expect good quality writing! :D Tonnes of Mikaere goodness right there. My favorite SnK chaptered fic. :)  
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* * *

**Chapter 11 - Inferno**

The enormous deviant stared Eren down, ignoring the much smaller Titan that was continuously ramming into its side to little effect. Its eyes were narrowed with hate. Annie kicked and pushed and did whatever she could with the malformed stumps that were supposed to be her arms, but she was far too weak. The deviant opened its mouth, and steam vented out from its insides, as if the searing anger within itself burned so fiercely that its body could not contain it, releasing it instead as scalding vapor.

The idea that a wild Titan could feel anger was a strange one to Eren, but he had no doubt in his mind that this one could experience such an emotion. He had no doubt that it wanted to murder him. The look on the deviant's face chilled him to the core - something that no Titan had ever done to him. Well, no Titan besides the one that ate his mother. For the first time in so many years, Eren was genuinely afraid.

It took a step towards him. The ground shook under its weight. After such a long time standing in its sorry state of disrepair, the farmhouse started to crumble, its rotted wood finally giving in not to time, or weather, but to the rampaging of a Titan. The deviant lifted a leg and swung it towards Eren. Annie quickly jumped into its path, taking the full brunt of the kick right in her gut. The force of the blow sent her soaring over Eren and onto the plains just outside of the farm. She hit the ground with a sickening crunch, and she rolled a short distance before grinding to a halt.

"Annie!" Eren screamed, spinning around just in time to see his friend land heavily on the ground.

_This isn't right. Snap out of it, Eren! Another person is going to die because of you_, was the thought that shot through his head at that moment. His heart was pounding; his adrenaline-filled blood rushing through his veins. Instinctively, he lifted his hand to his mouth and bit down on it. His teeth sunk in deep, and he cried out in pain, but he was still unable to transform.

"Damn it! Damn it!" he cursed as he turned tail and ran. He held his wounded hand gingerly, silently berating himself not only for being useless in such a desperate situation, but also for so easily forgetting his promise to never use his powers again. Annie was right after all : in the face of impending doom, such promises meant nothing.

He came up to the crumpled body of Annie's Titan form and pounded on it with his good hand.

"Get up! Get up, you bitch! I'm not letting you die here! I won't let you fucking die for me! You don't deserve to redeem yourself!"

The deviant observed him keenly from a distance, but made no move to attack. It was the most unpredictable Titan Eren had ever seen, but he did not care. The momentary reprieve was most welcome.

"Get the fuck out of here!" he screamed, sending a kick into her side. Annie started to stir, but she could not get up. Her torso was crushed and it was not regenerating. What little steam that emitted from the newly opened cavity in her midriff could barely be seen under the orange glow of the setting sun. She turned her head so that her gigantic blue eyes met Eren's green ones. For the first time in his life, Eren saw a Titan cry.

_I'm just a weak and frail girl._

Those were the words that she kept repeating over and over to him when they used to train together. To him, they always seemed to drip with sarcasm, especially considering her prowess in battle. Her trademark words always rang hollow to him; more of a taunt than a statement. Now that he thought about it, she used to repeat the words so often that it was almost as if she wanted someone to say 'Yes, you are weak and frail. Don't be afraid, I'll protect you'. It was then that Eren finally understood her words for what they were : a desperate plea for help. She was tired of being strong. Tired of being alone.

"I guess you're weak and frail after all," he said before turning to face the deviant. He was done being a burden. He was fed up with having people die because of him. His mind was focused. He bit down on his hand and transformed.

* * *

"Eren!" Mikasa gasped when she saw him transform in the distance. They had just broken from the treeline and were now heading straight for the farm.

"Crap, that damn deviant got there before us!" Bertholdt cursed under his breath.

"Looks like he's going to need all the help he can get," Ymir commented. "If you turn then it shouldn't be a problem, right? You're at least twice its size."

"No. You turn."

"Me? You don't even know what kind of Titan I'll turn into. How can you be sure that I'll be of any help against that monster?"

"You deal with these wild ones that are chasing us. Keep them away. Reiner's going to have his hands full trying to take that one down, even with Eren's help."

"And why can't you help?"

"If I turn, there will be no one to take care of Christa."

"Oh, don't worry about that, I'm going to take care of her for the rest of her life. She's my wife, after all!"

Bertholdt's eyes narrowed.

"Tch. Oh, I love the trust that supposed allies share," Ymir said dryly.

"Trust will come in time. But not now."

"Do it, Ymir," Mikasa said, putting a firm hand on the girl's shoulder. Her calm voice belied the fear in her heart. "Please."

"Fuck you all." Ymir pulled a knife out of her pocked and slit her palm before leaping off of Reiner's broad shoulders. A cloud of steam enveloped her as she fell, and when her transformation was complete, she landed directly on top of one of the smaler Titans, viciously ripping out the back of its neck with her sharp teeth. Bertholdt gasped when he saw her Titan form. She was a relatively small Titan, with a large, ugly head that was covered with wispy locks of hair. Her body was small and squat, but she moved with speed and dexterity that put all the other Titan shifters' forms to shame. But more importantly, this was not the first time he'd seen this Titan.

"Berik," Bertholdt muttered as he watched Ymir lead the other Titans away with his wide, terrified eyes.

Mikasa noticed his surprise, but said nothing of it. It was none of her concern. Her eyes were firmly focused on the two Titans battling in the distance. She rammed her fist into Reiner's neck in frustration. "Go faster, damn it," she murmured.

* * *

Eren roared as he backed away from the deviant. He had punched it with all his might, but all he succeeded in doing was crushing his own arm without so much as leaving a scratch on the monster. Steam billowed from the stump of his arm as it healed as quickly as he could will it, but the deviant would not give him any time to rest. It sent wild slashes at him, its large arms like huge tree trunks flying towards him in an uncontrolled fashion. He dodged them easily enough, but his opponent pressed the attack, keeping him on the defensive.

_There's no way I can weaken it. It's far too strong. I'll have to keep dodging until I see an opening to strike at its neck. It's the only way._

Eren skipped backwards, trying to stay out of range of the deviant's strikes. He planned to wait for it to commit fully to a forward lunge and then try to move behind it. He lifted his now fully regenerated arms into a high guard and shifted his feet in preparation for the maneuver. It seemed like a sound plan, but he did not account for the unpredictability of the deviant. Instead of lunging at him, it glanced over at Annie who was still struggling to get to her feet.

During their scuffle, their positions had changed and now the monster was right next to the female Titan. It reached down and grabbed her, lifting her up and holding her in the air by her blonde mane. A terrible ripping sound could be heard as the weight of her body pulled her downwards, causing the flesh of her scalp to start tearing out at the roots of her hair. He knew that she wouldn't feel any pain from it, but it didn't make the sight any less grotesque.

Eren had no choice. He had to lunge at it and try to free her. He ducked low beneath its swipe and moved in, grabbing hold of its hand. He succeeded in prying its fingers apart, allowing Annie to stumble away, but when he attempted to create distance between himself and the deviant again, it closed its arms around him, locking him in place. It opened its gigantic mouth to reveal rows of vicious teeth and clamped down on Eren's head, crushing his skull. Eren tried his best to pull away, but its arms were too strong. He screeched in defiance, his glowing green eyes darting around in their sockets as he desperately searched for some way to escape. That was when he saw his salvation rushing towards him from the corner of his eye.

The armored Titan dashed towards them at full speed, sending his entire bulk crashing into the deviant with all the momentum he could generate. His armored shoulder shattered and collapsed on itself, so powerful was the tackle, but he managed to push the monster off balance. It stumbled and tripped over its own feet, finally falling to the ground with a thunderous slam. Eren managed to rip himself out of its grasp during its momentary lapse in concentration, though he had to leave a large chunk of his head in its jaws. It didn't matter too much though, since his body would regenerate it on its own. Instead, he was more concerned with the newcomer to the battle.

_You._

Eren faced the armored Titan and entered a fighting stance. He was about to attack when his would-be opponent shook his head and pointed at the deviant.

_A common enemy? No. You're all my enemies. I'll kill you all._

The deviant was on its feet now and bearing down on the armored Titan. As the two of them grappled with each other, Eren stood and watched, unsure of what to do next. He certainly needed all the help he could get to take down the deviant, but could he live with himself if he accepted the help of one of his greatest enemies? Or should he set that aside for now and address the more pressing matter at hand?

Fists clenched tightly, and his face curled up in a snarl, Eren started to move towards them.

* * *

Mikasa watched the entire battle unfold from beside the ruins of the farmhouse.

"Go and help them!" she said to Bertholdt. "I'll watch over Christa! Please!"

Bertholdt looked at her with a pained expression on his face, then glanced at the fighting Titans.

"I can't! Christa is a top priority! We've fought too hard to just let Ymir take her away from us!"

"Then give me your gear! Please! I can't let Eren die!" Mikasa pleaded, squeezing his arm tightly. "Isn't there even a little bit of humanity left in you?"

"We're all human, despite what you think!" Bertholdt snapped. "I- Someone had to stain their hands with blood!"

"Then give me your gas canister! I don't care about what any of you did right now. Please. Eren is-"

A loud roar interrupted Mikasa's words, and she looked up to see Reiner kneeling on the ground with his arm completely torn from his body. The wound ejected little steam, and it healed much slower than usual. He was too exhausted to keep fighting like that. Eren circled the deviant now, preparing to attack, but Bertholdt knew that it was not enough.

"Go!" he said reluctantly as he detached the canister from the back of his 3DMG. He handed it over to her before pulling two hardened steel blades from his dispensers and handing them over. "Save them, please!"

Mikasa attached the canister to her gear and squeezed the triggers on her control mechanisms to test for proper connection. Spurts of gas ejected from he back of her 3DMG, confirming that it was ready for use. She then connected the naked steel to the handles and immediately ran towards the fighting Titans.

Eren was lying on his back now. His tactic had failed. He exploited an opening in the deviant's attack, but his attempt to sink his jaws into the nape of the its neck had not been precise enough, and it easily threw him off of its back. He tried to get back to his feet, but the deviant loomed over him. It stomped powerfully on Eren's knee, mangling it beyond recognition.

The armored Titan rushed it again, but it swung its fist to meet him and sent him flying away.

_It's over, isn't it?_

Eren sat up and grabbed the gigantic leg that was pinning him to the ground. He pulled at it with all his strength, but it would not budge.

_I'm sorry, Mikasa. I fought my best. I guess I deserve to die after what I did._

The deviant grabbed his long hair and started to pull. It was trying to rip his head clean off. Eren continued to struggle, but there was nothing he could do against it. It was simply far too big and far too strong. He eventually stopped trying to move it and instead grasped at its hands, trying to stop its crude attempt at beheading him.

_I won't give up. I don't want to give up. But sometimes fighting no matter what just isn't enough, I guess._

"Keep fighting, Eren!"

_Huh? Was that Mikasa's voice? I must be hearing things._

"Let go of him, you freak!"

Eren glanced upwards and saw the glint of metal zooming upwards. He heard the sound of gas ejecting at high speed from the back of a 3DMG and the whirring of cables being reeled in. Whatever it was moved so fast that all he could see was a blur. The figure flew up to the nape of the deviant's neck, and he could hear the sound of metal clashing hard against Titan skin. Suddenly, the deviant let go of him and reached its hands behind its neck in an attempt to catch whatever had attacked it. The figure bounced off of its neck and fired hooks further down its back. It swung downwards, but the monster shook its body violently, forcing the hooks out of its skin and sending the figure spiraling out of control. That was when Eren saw the maroon scarf flapping violently against the wind.

_Mikasa!_

Eren mustered all the strength he could and pulled his trapped leg, severing it at the knee. Then he lunged forward with his hand held out to catch the falling girl. She landed heavily onto his palm, and Eren closed his fingers around her, taking great care not to squash her as he slid to a halt a short distance away. Once he stopped, he opened his hand and gazed at her. Just like Annie before him, his Titan form started to cry.

Mikasa too, started to tear up as she lay in his palm, but she knew that the fight was not over yet. She pointed a finger in the direction of the approaching deviant. Eren nodded at her. He knew what had to be done. He laid Mikasa down on the ground and gestured for her to get as far away as she could before he turned his head to face his opponent. He could not stand because he still lacked a leg, but his mind was calm now. He knew that he had to fight. He had to win. Even if he had no legs and no arms, even if he had to crawl out of his Titan body and fight the thing with his bare hands, he would fight. Giving up was not an option.

He recalled the words that had been gnawing away at his sanity ever since Elizabeth died.

_I'm a monster. _

Then he recalled Annie's words.

_The power itself is not an indication of evil. It's what you do with it._

Steam vented out of every pore in Eren's body, completely hiding him from sight. The deviant stopped in its tracks and observed the new development curiously.

Mikasa ran as far away from the steam as she could, and even then she could feel its searing heat burning her back. She didn't want to leave him, but she knew that she had to. She had seen the look in his eyes and knew without the need for words that this was his fight to win. When she reached the ruins of the farmhouse, she turned back to look at him, but the cloud of steam was still snaking into the sky with a deafening hiss, hiding him from view.

Eventually, the steam started to lessen, revealing Eren within. He was standing upright now, his leg having completely regenerated while he was obscured by the vapor. He took a step towards his foe, his gait strong and steady. Mikasa felt like there was something different about him this time, though she could not put her finger on what it was. He just seemed stronger than he used to be. Every step he took, his firm muscles rippled under his skin, giving off an aura of might. It was awe-inspiring - something that she never thought she'd think of a Titan, even one that wasn't wild.

"Fight, Eren! I know you can win!" Mikasa shouted, though she didn't know if he could hear her or not. Perhaps his hearing was sharp enough to pick up her words, or maybe he could feel her presence and was given strength by it, but Eren seemed to respond immediately. He kicked off the ground and started running at the deviant, sending large chunks of soil flying everywhere and leaving large craters in the ground where he stepped.

The collision of the two behemoths shook the very earth beneath their feet, and even Mikasa, with her unparalleled natural sense of balance, nearly fell over due to the massive tremors. The two Titans locked hands and pushed against each other in a test of strength. At first, it seemed like the much larger Titan was exercising its size advantage over Eren completely, easily pushing him back. But Eren dug his heels into the ground and managed to halt its advance. He then let out a bloodcurdling roar and started to push back.

"It's too big, he can't just try to win with brute force," Bertholdt said.

_I believe in you,_ Mikasa thought as she felt the scarf around her neck with her hand. Of course, she feared for his life, but her instincts told her that she should believe in him. Somehow, she had a gut feeling that he would win. Her heart caught in her throat when she noticed something strange starting to occur around Eren's body. Steam came off of his skin even though he was not injured, but instead of slowly billowing off of him like usual, the hot vapor shot out in all directions fast and hard, as if it were escaping from the spout of a kettle. But this was not as surprising as what happened next. As quickly as they came, the jets of steam dissipated, instead being replaced by raw heat emanating from his skin. So intense it was that Mikasa could see the heat waves distorting the light far beyond Eren's own personal space. She started sweating profusely, and her eyes began to water. She had to struggle to keep her gaze on him because she could practically feel the skin on her face starting to burn.

"What have you done?" Bertholdt gasped as he raised an arm to try and shield himself from the heat.

"What are you talking about?" asked Mikasa.

"You- You awakened it."

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I don't care, as long as he wins."

"He will win. But are you ready to bear the consequences of what is to come?"

Bertholdt's grim words disturbed Mikasa greatly, but she chose to ignore them for the time being. She returned her attention to the fight just in time to see Eren burst into flames.

The skin on the deviant's hands started to melt and slide off, falling onto the ground like grotesque, fleshy raindrops. Left with charred, black stumps on the ends of its arms, it clubbed Eren in the head, but all it succeeded in doing was breaking its brittle limbs against him. He was now fire incarnate; an inferno that would bend to none. Engulfed in a blaze far greater than anything humans could ever hope to create, he delivered a punch to the deviant's face that literally made it explode into bits. He then grabbed its gigantic legs and burned them to cinders. In the end, all that was left of the monster was a limbless, headless torso with skin burnt black. It moved no more, and Eren stood over it, screaming triumphantly as his entire body continued to burn.

Even Mikasa couldn't help but feel somewhat terrified at the sight. "Wh- What happened to him?"

"Perhaps it's ironic that you were the one to do it," Bertholdt replied. His voice was solemn, and his words carried a gravity that Mikasa couldn't ignore.

"Stop being cryptic!"

Bertholdt let out a deep sigh.

"Behold Surtr. Sword of Muspellheim. The first perfect Titan." He glanced at Mikasa with fearful eyes. "And the bane of all humanity."

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Please review. :)**

**Levi chapter up next! Really can't wait to write it. Let's just say that the story is hitting full throttle right about now!  
**

**Till next time!  
**


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